Serious Salt: Heart Attacks & Strokes

"What will it take to get Americans – and the food industrial complex – to get serious about taking some of the salt out of our diets?... In January, another study published in the New England Journal of Medicine concluded that excising 1,200 mg of sodium from our daily diets [1/2 teaspoon] would prevent up to 120,000 cases of cardiovascular disease, 66,000 strokes, 99,000 heart attacks and reduce annual deaths from any cause by as much as 92,000. That study found that the cost savings would add up to as much as $24 billion and save as many as 392,000 years of life.

...researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine and the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System... used a computer model to estimate would what happen if consumers and food-makers here copied a British salt-reduction campaign. Their conclusions: Americans between the ages of 40 and 85 would cut their salt intake by 9.5% [roughly, 1/2 teaspoon], preventing strokes in 513,885 people and heart attacks in 480,358 others. Total savings to the healthcare system would top $32 billion, according to their study published Monday in Annals of Internal Medicine....

You can read the study here, or check out the summary for patients here.  For those who are finally motivated to cut some of the salt out of their diets – or at least give it a try – check out this list of helpful hints from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute..."

[Full article here.  This post dedicated to all those who sent me e-mail saying I was overreacting on the issue of sodium in vegan products and recipes in one of my blog posts (here).  Y'see, it's not just a meat, dairy, and egg issue, it's also the fat, sugar, and salt, in our diets that can still come from vegan sources.  All three are implicated in heart disease, Type II Diabetes, and obesity, (among other disorders), and exercise isn't the solution.]

Comments

[vgpedlr]

What will it take to get Americans – and the food industrial complex – to get serious about taking some of the salt out of our diets?...

Since we are biologically programmed to seek out salt, since in nature it indicates a lot of vital minerals, it will take a lot of effort. I don't see many food companies willingly cutting back on what helps drive sales. Ditto for sugar. Ditto for fat. And yes, vegans are just as guilty!

[Agreed... the food companies have deliberately upped the dosages of fat, sugar, and salt, in this country to play to those biological needs and they become addictions.

I remember reading somewhere that many American food products, identical to those produced by the same company for the UK, have more salt than their UK counterparts (the UK is more stringent on the issue).

This must stop!

Thanks for your comment... Mark]

[Peter]

Hi Mark,

I thought you might find the following link of interest. http://www.saltmatters.org/site/
Here low salt foods must are defined as not exceeding 120 mg/100g
By sticking to a low fat (mostly whole food) vegan diet sodium is likely to be low. Furthermore once you experience having little salt in your diet for a prolonged period foods high in salt become increasingly unpalatable.

It's often eye popping the amount of sodium added to processed foods.

Cheers,

Peter

[Agreed... after assidiouslly limiting my sugar, fat, and sodium content for several weeks, I've lost the taste or addiction to all. It's really cool, but, admittedly, takes some discipline.

Great site! Will mention it in the upcoming MC newsletter.

Thanks for the info... Mark]