Research: no relationship between salt intake and CVD risks

Brussels / BE. (eus) The results of three recent scientific studies demonstrate once more that there is no conclusive evidence to indicate that high salt consumption leads to an increased risk of cardiovascular events. These results confirm that salt reduction in healthy people does not minimise the risk of cardiovascular events, and are therefore in line with the conclusions of the Salt + Health Forum (1), organised by EuSalt (European Association of Salt Producers) earlier this year, which stated that hypertension and the risks of cardiovascular events will not be solved by restricting salt intake. Reviewing the studies, the sole conclusion that can be drawn is that there is no conclusive scientific consensus regarding salt intake and the risk of cardiovascular diseases in healthy people, and that more thorough population studies are needed in order to be able to recommend salt restrictions for healthy people.

Recent research findings: no conclusive evidence of a
relationship between salt intake and cardiovascular events

American hypertension specialist Professor Dr. Michael Alderman (2) reviewed the salt-to-blood pressure link found in a cross-sectional study (3) of a large representative sample of British children. In this study carried out on children between four and 18 years old, a significant direct relationship between salt intake and blood pressure was found. Specifically, consuming 1g of salt more per day was associated with a 0,4 mm Hg rise in blood pressure. Alderman warns that this correlation needs to be taken very cautiously since the reaction of blood pressure can vary considerably in function of the dietary intake. He also underlines that the significance of the relationship found between salt intake and a rise in blood pressure in the cross-sectional study disappeared immediately after correction for energy intake.

The Rotterdam Study (4), co-ordinated by Dutch researcher Prof. Dr. Johanna Geleijnse, consisted of an examination of sodium and potassium intake in relation to cardiovascular disease and mortality in an older population. The conclusion of this study is very clear: the effect of sodium and potassium intake on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in Western societies remains to be established. The researchers observed a significant positive association between urinary sodium ratio and all-cause mortality, but only in overweight subjects who were initially free of hypertension and CVD morbidity. This relates to the conclusion at EuSalt´s Salt + Health Forum that hypertension and CVD morbidity will not be solved by restricting the salt intake only.

Finally, there are the results of the study of British scientists Jay Walker and Joel Dunning (5). They studied 462 research papers on the subject from around the world. After analysing the most relevant 14 studies, the researchers found that it was impossible to prove a connection between salt and heart disease because of a lack of adequately powered randomised trials or observational studies conducted with sufficient rigour.

About: The non-profit organisation Eusalt is the European Salt Producers´ Association and represents the interests of 21 salt producers located all over Europe. As the voice of the salt industry in Europe, EuSalt provides authoritative information about salt and its many uses to the public at large and other interested parties. EuSalt also promotes the responsible use of salt and represents the industry as a whole at the level of the European and international institutions.

Footnotes

(1) Visit the website https://www.eusalt.com for the conclusions of the Salt + Health Forum (Publications + Events » Press Releases)
(2) M.H. Alderman. Salt and Blood Pressure in Children, in Journal of Human Hypertension (2007), 1-3, doi:10.1038/sj.hh. 1002269
(3) F.J. He et al. Salt and Blood Pressure in Children and Adolescents, in Journal of Human Hypertension (2007), doi.10.1038/sj.jhh.1002268
(4) J. M. Geleijnse, J. Witteman, T. Stijnen, M. Kloos, A. Hofman en D. Grobbee. Sodium and potassium intake and risk of cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality: the Rotterdam Study, in Eur J Epidemiol, DOI 10.1007/s10654-007-9186-2
(5) J. Walker et al. Does reducing your salt intake make you live longer?, in Interactive Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, DOI 10.1510/icvts.2007.165415

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