The Atlantic: Don’t Hold the Salt: Attempts to Curb Sodium Intake Are Misguided.
“It is widely preached that hypertension is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, and stroke. This is true. The assumption is therefore then made that by reducing dietary sodium we will reduce hypertension and thus reduce these untoward effects. This has not been demonstrably or conclusively shown, but it makes for great slogans, off the cuff advice, and lazy recommendations. It also makes for poor publicly mandated policy.” Eating salt has never harmed me, whereas boycotting salt almost prostrated me during my first experiences in the deserts of the Southwest.
Comments:
I avoided salt for years. My brush with benign heart arrhythmia showed ‘normal’ sodium (and other electrolyte) levels ... however, I noticed subsequently that *not* avoiding salt minimized the skipped beats.
So a major PFFFFFFFFT to all the docs who recommended otherwise.
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Working construction in the ignorant ‘80s in north Texas at 120F we popped salt tablets like Tic Tacs.
NOT doing so would lay you flat.
So I never paid any attention because they said over and over - if you suffer hypertension and I didn’t.