Modest reductions in dietary salt would reap great benefits

"US researchers say even a small reduction in the amount of salt in the daily diet would have a huge public-health impact. Dr Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo (University of California, San Francisco) and colleagues calculate that cutting just 1g of salt a day would prevent a quarter of a million new heart-disease cases and 200,000 deaths from any cause over a decade. Bibbins-Domingo told heartwire that "everyone would benefit, but certain groups gain more." These include African Americans, women, and those under 65, she noted. Americans currently eat 9 to 12g of salt per day, an amount far in excess of the 5 to 6g per day that is recommended by most health organizations, she said. She reported the new findings in a poster at the AHA 49th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention last week" - heartwire