Fears about the dangers of salt greatly exaggerated?

Belgian doctors are advised not to restrict salt intake

For decades, physicians have been told about the dangers of salt, coming up to her name one more terrible than the other: the white poison, and even the white death. Now, however, the authors of the sensational investigation took the liberty to say that the sharp restriction of salt intake actually increases the risk of death from heart attacks and strokes.

The study results also suggest that those who ate less than a teaspoon of salt a day, no healthier than those who eat salt more.

The study, published in the prestigious medical journal Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers from the University of Leuven Belgian about eight years watching the 3681 Europeans are not older than 60 years. They concluded that the average salt intake above does not affect the health and, it seems, does not increase blood pressure, but reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease deaths.

It turned out that only a little over 6% of the participants of the experiment during these 8 years had heart attacks, strokes or other serious problems with the cardiovascular system. About a third of them had tragic consequences.

Doctors noticed that those who consumed a minimal amount of salt, the risk of death from heart attack or stroke was 56% higher compared with the fans of "white death". The authors of the study have tried to eliminate all adverse factors, such as obesity, cholesterol levels, smoking, diabetes and so on.

One-third of the observed low salt intake were recorded 50 deaths from the second third - with an average consumption - 24 deaths and a third - the high consumption of only 10.

Lead researcher Ian Stassen explain this surprising phenomenon has not yet been able to give, and only said: "Our findings do not support the widespread belief on reducing salt intake in the population."

Perhaps it suggests Belgian scientists reduced levels of salt causes stress to the human nervous system, reduces the body's sensitivity to insulin and affects the hormones that control blood pressure and sodium absorption.

Scientists have reacted to the results of research colleagues from Belgium with a great deal of skepticism, because many studies refute them. For example, last year the studies were conducted, which resulted in a conclusion that the number of deaths from cardiovascular disease can be reduced by almost 20% if the ban producing food companies add too much salt in their products.

By the way, Americans have published the results of sensational research just three months after the US government launched a program to strengthen the nation's health, and in particular demanded that the catering establishments and food producers to reduce the use of salt.

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