New Salt Study: Too Much Sodium is Unhealthy, But Too Little Can Also Be Harmful

A new report from the Institute of Medicine shows that, while too much sodium can is not healthy, too little sodium can also be harmful, according to Webpronews.com.

"These new studies support previous findings that reducing sodium from very high intake levels to moderate levels improves health," Brian Strom, a professor of public health and preventive medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, said. "But they also suggest that lowering sodium intake too much may actually increase a person's risk of some health problems."

The study doesn't contradict previously accepted information that too much sodium is harmful to your health and is associated with a risk of heart disease. It did find, however, that in studies where sodium intake was below 2,300 mg per day, the lowered risk of heart disease and stroke that occurred were too "inconsistent" to recommend an extremely lowered sodium intake. The researchers actually found that the lowered sodium intake was linked to "adverse health effects" for those with mid-to-late stage heart failure.

The average adult consumes 3,400 mg or more of sodium per day, which is equivalent to one and a half teaspoons. The current recommendation on sodium intake suggests that adults between the ages of 14 and 50 should lower their sodium intake to 2,300 mg per day, while adults over 50 and those with hypertension, diabetes and chronic kidney disease should lower their intake to 1,500 mg per day.

While the research questions the current recommendations, it does not present an alternative or recommended intake for sodium. It also suggests that sodium intake could have an effect on heart disease in ways other than through blood pressure.

"These studies make clear that looking at sodium's effects on blood pressure is not enough to determine dietary sodium's ultimate impact on health," Strom said. "Changes in diet are more complex than simply changing a single mineral.

"More research is needed to understand these pathways," he finished.