Public health experts have warned for decades of premature death from eating too much salt. Yet American salt consumption remains well above recommended limits. Meanwhile, a growing body of research suggests that salt restriction may actually cause disease.
Hundreds of studies have been done on salt, but conflicting research can make a cloudy picture. The key component of this salty debate is sodium—a mineral which makes up 40 percent of table salt (the rest is chloride).
Sodium is vital to human health—no scientist disputes this. But good health is an issue of balance and the scientific argument over sodium is an issue of dosage.
Most Americans consume about 3,400 mg of sodium (about 1.5 teaspoons of table salt) per day. Public health organizations recommend between 1,500 mg and 2,300 mg a day, depending upon risk factors for disease.
According to the Salt Institute—a non-profit organization dedicated to all things salt—daily salt consumption over two teaspoons a day is actually quite safe. In fact, they warn that sodium restrictions of less than 2,600 mg may actually decrease life expectancy and cognitive function, while increasing risks of disease, such as diabetes, heart attacks, and strokes.
Despite a growing call to reconsider salt restrictions, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the American Heart Association, and other health organizations have remained committed to their guidelines, and in their push for less salt in the food supply.
