Salt: The less, the better for one's health?

[qquito]

Hello, Everyone:

I have learned from different sources that one should take as less salt
as possible or even no salt at all for the sake of health.

But recently, I heard some opposite messages, namely, that salt-intake
does not put a healthy person in danger and one can add as much salt as
one wishes to his/her food.

So what is the current professional advice on salt-intake for a
generally healthy person? Is a diet TOTALLY free of salt good?

Thanks for reading and replying.

Roland

[John Sankey]

We absolutely need some salt, but most people get far more
than they need in their diet. Check the RDA, total your diet
and if you are typical you are getting far more than the RDA.
Reduce, but don't eliminate.

[montygram]

If you did a little internet research, you would see that the problem
is excess cholride. The sodium is important. If you think too much
"salt" will give you hypertension, the evidence actually points to too
little potassium. I eat plenty of salt, in the form of Celtic sea salt
(have been now for over 3 years) and at 40, my blood pressure is much
lower than all of my friends and relatives, usually around 95/70 (or
lower). If you make your own food from scratch, and use Celtic sea
salt to taste, you will be doing the healthiest thing possible, in
terms of sodim cholride consumption, at least.

[joni]

qquito wrote:
> I have learned from different sources that one should take
> as less salt as possible or even no salt at all for
> the sake of health.

Your body needs salt just like it needs water, so no salt at all could
lead to health problems: http://www.saltinstitute.org/27.html

joni

[MMu]

> Your body needs salt just like it needs water, so no salt at all could
> lead to health problems: http://www.saltinstitute.org/27.html

..great source....
"What is the Salt Institute? [...] The Institute is a non-profit association
of salt producers (manufacturers) founded in 1914. "

I don't know of any case of Na/Cl deficiency in an otherwise healthy human
being. Do you?

qquito wrote:
> I have learned from different sources that one should take
> as less salt as possible or even no salt at all for
> the sake of health.

Reducing salt intake is not a bad idea since there is salt added to almost
anything you eat.

Literature;

Physiol Rev. 2005 Apr;85(2):679-715.
Links between dietary salt intake, renal salt handling, blood pressure, and
cardiovascular diseases.

Meneton P, Jeunemaitre X, de Wardener HE, MacGregor GA.

Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale U367, Departement
de Sante Publique et d'Informatique Medicale, Faculte de Medecine Broussais
Hotel Dieu, Paris, France. pmen...@infobiogen.fr

Epidemiological, migration, intervention, and genetic studies in humans and
animals provide very strong evidence of a causal link between high salt
intake and high blood pressure. The mechanisms by which dietary salt
increases arterial pressure are not fully understood, but they seem related
to the inability of the kidneys to excrete large amounts of salt. From an
evolutionary viewpoint, the human species is adapted to ingest and excrete
<1 g of salt per day, at least 10 times less than the average values
currently observed in industrialized and urbanized countries. Independent of
the rise in blood pressure, dietary salt also increases cardiac left
ventricular mass, arterial thickness and stiffness, the incidence of
strokes, and the severity of cardiac failure. Thus chronic exposure to a
high-salt diet appears to be a major factor involved in the frequent
occurrence of hypertension and cardiovascular diseases in human populations.

[qquito]

It looks that the issue concerning the link between salt intake and
health is NOT decidedly settled.

[MMu]

> It looks that the issue concerning the link between salt intake and
> health is NOT decidedly settled.

It isn't - the underlying meachanism is not yet fully understood -but this
is true for the majority of factors in nutrition. However, as you can see in
the published literature, the effects are.