BRITISH RESEAR-CHERS have questioned the health benefits of moderate reductions in the amount of salt intake after their review revealed that cut in intake does not reduce the likelihood of dying or experiencing cardiovascular disease.
A team of researchers led by Prof. Rod Taylor, of the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Exeter, reviewed seven studies that together included 6,489 participants to draw their conclusion about the lack of benefits of salt intake reduction, which was published in the latest edition of the journal Cochrane Library.
The review does not discount evidence that reducing dietary salt intake reduces blood pressure. “Intensive support and encouragement to reduce salt intake did lead to a reduction in salt eaten and a small reduction in blood pressure after more than six months,” Prof. Taylor said.
However, the review did not find benefits of cutting salt intake “because the people in the trials we analysed only reduced their salt intake by a moderate amount, so the effect on blood pressure and heart disease was not large,” Prof. Taylor explained.
Prof. Taylor made it clear that the study needed data from at least 18,000 individuals before any clear idea about health benefits from cutting salt intake could be formed.
Many countries have government-sanctioned recommendations that call for reduced dietary sodium. In the UK, the National Institute of Health and Clinical Guidance recently called for an acceleration of the reduction in salt in the general population from a maximum intake of 6g per day per adult by 2015 to 3g by 2025.
“With governments setting ever lower targets for salt intake, and food manufacturers working to remove it from their products, it’s really important that we do some large research trials to get a full understanding of the benefits and risks of reducing salt intake,” Prof. Taylor said.