The fight against salt is already at the state level. For example, the US Department of Health in 2008 created the National Project on Reducing Salt Consumption. More than 45 cities, states and influential national and international health organizations have joined this project, including the American Heart Association, the American Medical Association and the International League of Hypertension. In Great Britain and Finland, serious measures are being taken to limit salt: food producers are obliged to write not only about the salt content of products, but also to indicate its recommended amount. The plans are grandiose, if not for one contradiction: even in the medical community there is no unanimity on this score. A number of experts argue that the increase in blood pressure in people abusing salt is due not so much to the presence of sodium in it, as much as chloride. For example, many mineral waters contain a considerable portion of sodium, but even prolonged use of mineral water does not lead to an increase in blood pressure.
But at the same time, modern science does not yet have absolute proof that healthy people will benefit from the strict limitation of sodium in nutrition. And some experts insist that eating without salt can even hurt your health. In their opinion, reducing salt in foods to a minimum can lead to unforeseen consequences, and various clinical studies conducted so far do not directly link the amount of salt consumed with cardiovascular diseases. There are also quite practical arguments: salt is a cheap seasoning and a proven natural preservative. The food companies have their own reasons and their benefits for the use of salt, especially in "long-playing" products. If they have to look for substitutes, it is not yet known what impact they will have on our health. Suffice it to recall the sugar substitutes, many of which - and this is proved by scientific research - are toxic and dangerous to the kidneys and liver.
Variable effect of sodium
For people with high blood pressure (and this is about a third of the adult population of our country), a decrease in the amount of salt consumed up to 4-5 g per day can indeed lead to a decrease in pressure, although insignificant: by 5 points in systolic and 3-4 in diastolic (see below - "Blood Pressure in Figures"). For example, the pressure after the "salt-free" week decreases from 145/90 to 140/87 mm Hg - of course, this change is not enough to bring blood pressure back to normal. And for people with normal blood pressure, an attempt to reduce sodium intake by the heroic exclusion of salt from the diet will result in an average pressure drop of 1-2 points. The tonometer can even not fix such a tiny change. Studies show that over time periods of salt failure will not affect the change in blood pressure at all. Presumably this is due to the fact that the body adapts to a low level of salt. So it turns out that the exclusion of salt from the diet influences the level of blood pressure in the future even less than some simple changes that you can make in the habitual way of life. Eat 3 times a day wholemeal products - and your systolic pressure will decrease by 6 points. Refuse one sweet drink - systolic decreases by 1.8 points, and diastolic - by 1.1. Drop 3 extra pounds - and the pressure will decrease by 1.4 and 1.1 points, respectively. In addition, only about 50% of all hypertensives react to salt, that is, salt-tolerant. This means that the blood pressure indicators for them change markedly with increasing or decreasing salt intake. Such salt sensitivity is, apparently, hereditary. This feature is more pronounced in people with excess weight and is more often observed in old age.
Ancient medicine
Ancient Roman scientist Pliny the Elder proclaimed that there are two most important things in the world - the Sun and salt, which the healers used for centuries as a medicine. And modern scientists argue that the refusal of salt is harmless for health: it is obvious that a decrease in sodium intake triggers many different processes - both good and harmful. For example, it was found that a low sodium content leads to an increase in the level of cholesterol and triglycerides. And this is a serious risk of atherosclerosis. And a few more reasons in defense of salt:
- Salt is a vital element for people with Type I diabetes. It helps to balance the level of sugar in the blood, thus reducing the need for insulin.
- Salt has antidepressant properties. This is what British scientists explain the predilection of most people for excessive consumption of salt in food and cravings for salty snacks - chips, nuts, straws, etc.
- Salt is needed to maintain serotonin and melatonin levels (hormones of happiness and pleasure) in the brain. When water purifies the body of toxic waste, salt helps to keep the necessary amount of fluid in the tissues. And avoid losing irreplaceable amino acids, such as tryptophan and tyrosine. And if there is a sufficient amount of moisture in the intercellular space, these amino acids are fully used for the production of serotonin and melatonin.
- Salt is necessary to regulate acidity in the intracellular environment, especially important for brain cells. That is why salt-free diets and the use of diuretics, which wash away salts and minerals from the body, increase the risk of Alzheimer's.
- Salt is absolutely necessary for full digestion. But - most importantly - you need to remember that the medicine or poison salt does the amount!
Whatever salt is used in food, the harm or benefit from it is up to you.