Salt Kills

2»

Replies

  • 60x60
    60x60 Posts: 75 Member
    I envy those of you who can enjoy salt. Enjoy in good health!

    However, there are situations where people do need to watch salt intake though. Based on drs. advice and my own records, I keep mine to 1500 mg because my blood pressure shoots up when I have much higher than that (I tracked my blood pressure and daily salt intake over a one year period and we are talkling significant spikes shooting up 30 to 40 points on the top and about 20 points on the bottom).

    Stroke victims often survive the stroke but experience impairments to their life experience. So if your dr. advises you to moderate your salt intake because of high blood pressure, I'd recommend listening or at a minimum experiment with the impact of salt impact on your own blood pressure.
  • FredDoyle
    FredDoyle Posts: 2,272 Member
    I envy those of you who can enjoy salt. Enjoy in good health!

    However, there are situations where people do need to watch salt intake though. Based on drs. advice and my own records, I keep mine to 1500 mg because my blood pressure shoots up when I have much higher than that (I tracked my blood pressure and daily salt intake over a one year period and we are talkling significant spikes shooting up 30 to 40 points on the top and about 20 points on the bottom).

    Stroke victims often survive the stroke but experience impairments to their life experience. So if your dr. advises you to moderate your salt intake because of high blood pressure, I'd recommend listening or at a minimum experiment with the impact of salt impact on your own blood pressure.
    This is the thing. You may be a statistical outlier, ie. sodium sensitive genetically. If you don't mind me asking, are you obese or overweight?
    I monitor my BP and salt intake daily. Since I have been a normal weight, an increase in sodium intake hasn't affected by BP.
    Over refreshment with alcohol has though...
  • jayche
    jayche Posts: 1,128 Member
    100% of people who die/have died also breathe oxygen, therefore should all stop breathing.
  • FredDoyle
    FredDoyle Posts: 2,272 Member
    100% of people who die/have died also breathe oxygen, therefore should all stop breathing.
    Sorry, but that's a silly analogy for people investigating a serious issue. This isn't about cleanses or aspartame.
  • 60x60
    60x60 Posts: 75 Member
    I have a family history of strokes on my father's side.

    I was obese, but have lost between 10-12 pounds over the last nine years and my BMI now has me at the high end of normal. I am the most fit I have been in my entire life. Alas, still my blood pressure shoots up when I have too much salt. I love salt so I have experimented with a good blood pressure machine and good records of food intake and exercise and, sadly, all my charts and graphs make it eminently clear that I should avoid salt. Note I am not trying to draw conclusions for anyone else.
  • jayche
    jayche Posts: 1,128 Member
    100% of people who die/have died also breathe oxygen, therefore should all stop breathing.
    Sorry, but that's a silly analogy for people investigating a serious issue. This isn't about cleanses or aspartame.
    A serious issue? As serious as a correlation = causation argument can get anyway.
  • ripemango
    ripemango Posts: 534 Member
    the poison is the dose - not the substance
  • DaniH826
    DaniH826 Posts: 1,335 Member
    I believe everything that people tell me who are trying to sell me a product or justify their position in life.
  • 60x60
    60x60 Posts: 75 Member
    That everybody dies does not exclude the fact that critical thinking and good judgment are important in approaching ones own health issues, in this instance for me the issue is the relationship of salt intake to my blood pressure management.

    I read the MFP posts to be exposed to new ideas, new perspectives and to have fodder to re-evaluate and re-calibrate my own approach to good health (okay, sometimes as entertainment or inspiration). I have learned a lot from some thoughtful intelligent people, I have learned a lot from some debates; but I do not cede my own informed decision making about my health to the forum contributors.
  • FredDoyle
    FredDoyle Posts: 2,272 Member
    I believe everything that people tell me who are trying to sell me a product or justify their position in life.
    I don't understand this comment at all. Is the facetiousness referring to the big salt companies, or that big government is trying to take away your god given salt. :ohwell:

    And jayche yes, we are trying to sort out the correlation causation issue because doctors and respected agencies are saying that we should reduce sodium intake in general. This isn't some wellness centre telling us that we should cleanse our toxins.
  • monty619
    monty619 Posts: 1,308 Member
    LOL overconsumption of salt is the last thing you should worry about.. just consume consistant amounts, or balance it out with consuming more potassium and u wont have problems.. anyone who exercises regularly and is healthy outside of having high blood pressure can eat as much as they want.
  • kelsully
    kelsully Posts: 1,008 Member
    Shame on ABC, NBC, CBS, and the rest of those who resort to sensationalism. "A team of Harvard researchers" is not a signifier of authority here. As the article linked to in the OP points outs--somewhere at the bottom, this review of other studies has yet to be published in a peer-reviewed journal. While being published doesn't make something true, it's reasonable to demand that findings this contrary to recent thought be scrutinized. To not do so is a red flag.

    The article, obviously not written by someone with scientific training, seems to report preliminary findings as fact. I believe that the researcher believes his findings to be true but how can readers be served by reporting on the confidence level of an academic who somehow was able to convince every major news organization--it seems--to have this story ready on the day of presentation?

    In other words, this story is anecdotal. People have a hard enough time wading through real findings of fact. Introducing BS can't help.

    I admit I did not read the article but I do have to say that people also do not know how to read and examine research for confounding variables. There was a study done once concerning sugar and hyperactivity. The first studies showed an increase in hyperactivity in children that consumed a certain amount of sugar. Further studies were done that isolated the source of sugars...some children were given no sugars...some were given home baked goods with the same quantities of sugar as the third group that got processed sugars loaded with food dyes. It was only the third group that showed hyperactivity.

    The point is...salt might be bad in excess, but the source of the salt might be more important than the amount, the amount of hydration along with the salt intake might be more important than the amount of salt consumed. People need to read critically to all the variables...and consider the confounding variables as well ( the variables that were not at first considered)
  • FredDoyle
    FredDoyle Posts: 2,272 Member
    Ya, I'm not talking about the panic headline in the OP. Just that respectable medical agencies say that it should be restricted to 1500 mg /day. This is the European standard BTW. I like to eat more than that.
    Some agencies concerned with BP are indeed thinking that a K to Na ratio of ~2:1 is more important than the total amount of Na.
    I'd like to see some confirming studies.
  • CoachReddy
    CoachReddy Posts: 3,949 Member
    LOL overconsumption of salt is the last thing you should worry about.. just consume consistant amounts, or balance it out with consuming more potassium and u wont have problems.. anyone who exercises regularly and is healthy outside of having high blood pressure can eat as much as they want.

    i dunno... i'd say getting mauled by an army of stuffed animal unicorns is probably the LAST thing you should worry about...

    keeping an eye on sodium levels isn't a bad thing, but not worth freaking out over unless your diet consists of mostly processed foods and you don't exercise much.
  • Lyadeia
    Lyadeia Posts: 4,603 Member
    LOL overconsumption of salt is the last thing you should worry about.. just consume consistant amounts, or balance it out with consuming more potassium and u wont have problems.. anyone who exercises regularly and is healthy outside of having high blood pressure can eat as much as they want.

    i dunno... i'd say getting mauled by an army of stuffed animal unicorns is probably the LAST thing you should worry about...

    keeping an eye on sodium levels isn't a bad thing, but not worth freaking out over unless your diet consists of mostly processed foods and you don't exercise much.

    And if that's the case, then worrying about salt is worrying about minutia when all things about your health are being considered.

    But, still, watch out for the rampaging unicorn stampede.

Categories