We have always been warned about the dangers of eating too much salt in our diet, but one research published in The Lancet ensures that taking it does not cause an increase in cardiovascular diseases. We would be facing a new dietary recommendation, endorsed by the most prestigious British doctors.
There is only risk when taking more than 5 grams a day
The study has been carried out in 18 countries in America, Europe, Africa, Asia, the Near East and the Far East; and the risk of suffering cardiovascular diseases due to salt consumption is denied. Scientists say that there is only danger when you exceed 5 grams of sodium per day (about 2 and a half teaspoons). It is striking that this quantity is only consumed by 5% of the population.
The research highlighted that eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, dairy products, potatoes, nuts and other foods with a high potassium content reverses and can eliminate the possibility of suffering from heart disease linked to salt consumption.
Of all the countries that participated, China it was the only one in which 80% of the population exceeded that daily salt intake. In the rest, it is normal to eat between three and five grams a day.
WHO recommendations
The World Health Organization recommends taking minus two grams daily (one tablespoon) as a measure to prevent cardiovascular disease. The American Heart Association, on the other hand, advises that it be reduced to the maximum recommended to 1 grams daily.
But limiting salt intake is not always positive. One of the researchers from the study named above states that “There is not much evidence that restricting salt intake to this point leads to an improvement in health conditions, even at this minimum level.«.
«Our findings show that campaigns to reduce salt consumption should be specific only to those societies that exceed their consumption; and should be part of broader approaches to improve the quality of the diet as a whole«.