Salt Consumption Study Says 'Stop Stressing Your Intake'

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Salty snack lovers, we have some amazing news for you. According to new research, the average individual’s daily salt consumption is nothing to fret about when it comes to your health.

The international study, which was published in The Lancet, comes from scientists of the Population Health Research Institute of McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences, as well as research partners around the world. The team followed the dietary habits of 94,000 people from 18 countries between the ages of 35 and 70 for eight years, and the data they compiled provides a sigh of relief for many of us trying to eat healthier but struggling to ditch the salt shaker.

Unless you really pile on the sodium, eating 5 grams (or 2.5 teaspoons) or more on a daily basis, your heart is faring just fine with your current salt intake levels. Yes, that means that you don’t have a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease or suffering a stroke. China is the only country in the study where 80 percent of communities have that kind of high sodium intake of more than 5 grams per day. Communities in the remaining 17 countries had an average daily sodium consumption of 3 to 5 grams.

“Only in the communities with the most sodium intake — those over 5 grams a day of sodium — which is mainly in China, did we find a direct link between sodium intake and major cardiovascular events like heart attack and stroke,” Andrew Mente, the study’s first author, said in a statement. “In communities that consumed less than 5 grams of sodium a day, the opposite was the case. Sodium consumption was inversely associated with myocardial infarction or heart attacks and total mortality, and no increase in stroke.”

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Across the board, only 5 percent of the populations of the developed countries studied come close to this excessive salt consumption. And if you happen to be part of that minority, there’s good news for you, too. The study suggests that any health risks you might incur due to too much sodium can be eliminated by upping the amount of fruits, vegetables, dairy, potatoes and other potassium-rich foods in your diet.

“We found all major cardiovascular problems, including death, decreased in communities and countries where there is an increased consumption of potassium, which is found in foods such as fruits, vegetables, dairy foods, potatoes and nuts and beans,” said Mente.

This new information counters the recommendations of the World Health Organization (no more than 2 grams per day) and the American Heart Association (no more than 1.5 grams per day). But, according to the study authors, those numbers are based on individual-level information, unlike their research, which used a community-level approach. Their methods allow for more effective intervention once the communities with really high sodium intake are identified, as opposed to trying to single out individuals and encourage them to change.

All this is to say that you shouldn’t celebrate by dumping a bunch of sea salt on your next order of French fries. Just enjoy the fact that you’re probably doing just fine by your health and, for once, science isn’t asking you to be better in the name of your health. Phew.

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