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SALTS ARE GOOD It’s all over the news. There is great movement afoot by the FDA and health authorities at federal, state and municipal levels to lower our salt intake. This campaign to reduce the population’s salt consumption is based on recent studies that claim tens of thousands of lives will be saved by even a small reduction. The jury is still out however. The validity of these studies is rightly challenged, contradictory studies are prolific and the downsides to salt reduction have yet to be investigated. Moreover, the saving of tens of thousands of lives by salt reduction is true only if salt reduction lowers blood pressure, and only if lowering blood pressure is always beneficial. Strikingly both if’s are as likely not true as true. Also, the jury is still out whether salt consumption has increased in America along with increases in blood pressure; or whether salt consumption is any higher in America than in other countries without rampant hypertension, heart disease and strokes. A campaign to reduce salt intake may be barking up the wrong tree. The most significant potential downside of salt reduction is weight gain. Yes, weight gain. Obesity, and its attendant hypertension, heart disease and diabetes – collectively called the Metabolic Syndrome – is the primary threat to America’s health. Obesity is not caused by salt. Obesity is often caused by HFCS, high fructose corn syrup. HFCS causes obesity and hypertension and heart disease and diabetes. It is in soft drinks, sweetened juices, cereals, candy, snacks and fast food. A campaign to reduce salt intake is indeed barking up the wrong tree. Lowering salt intake is essential if salt increases your blood pressure. This is true for a small percent of individuals with high blood pressure. Lowering salt intake is also essential if you have congestive heart failure or kidney disease. Beyond these exceptions lowering salt intake is probably without benefit and in all likelihood is actually harmful. Salt is good, that is, an unprocessed salt is good. An unprocessed salt has all the minerals intact, nothing has been removed. Salt as found in nature is grey and moist. Most commercial salt, even those with the misleading name "sea salt", is white and dry, the minerals have been removed and replaced with residual chemicals from the processing. It is worth noting that all the hoopla about our salt intake is about "salt" as we know it, "salt" that is only sodium chloride, "salt" with a trace of chemicals instead of abundant trace minerals. Salt is good, it is essential. The plagues of the middle ages mostly killed poor people, people without (unprocessed) salt, people too poor to pay the tax on salt. Historically salt was known as “white gold.” Salt of the earth is stored fire. Fire purifies. Salt, as found in nature, is sodium, chloride and all the trace minerals. There are other salts found in nature as well, for example, salts of potassium and magnesium, of sulfates and phosphates. When these salts and minerals are dissolved together in water they create an electrolyte solution. Electrolytes are good too, very good, often essential. They create and charge the “body battery.” They are also the spark of life, the fire that ignites all life processes in our body.
© Health Equations 2010 |
