Health outcomes lessons from Finland’s salt reduction

Morton Satin
Salt Institute
Salt and Health newsletter
Summer 2007

An aggressive 30-year anti-salt campaign in Finland is credited by advocates of universal salt reduction with proving that lowering population dietary salt intakes will achieve long-predicted benefits in terms of improved cardiovascular health and longer lives. Finland, indeed, cut salt intakes from 14 grams/day to 8 grams/day (North Americans generally consume about 8 grams a day). But these advocates always report Finland's "achievement" without comparing it to the worldwide health advances and the cardiovascular progress of Finland's neighbors. Compared to Western Europe and North American populations, using World Health Organization data, Finland's health gains pale; all other countries' health improved more than Finland's -- without reducing dietary salt.