So says Elizabeth Bromstein writing in NOW Magazine (Toronto). "I don't think anybody ever had a heart attack from drinking too much mineral water or vegetable juice," she says, noting that while some think we ingest too much salt, "others say the warnings are way out of whack." So she did her own research and reported:

What the experts say

"Around 1900 we had an average sodium intake of 200 mg a day, and now we have an average intake of 5,000 mg. Sodium has to work with potassium and magnesium, and while our salt intake has increased, our potassium and magnesium intake has gone down. The increase is mostly due to processed foods, but if you eat a diet low in processed foods and high in fruits and vegetables, your salt level is probably fine. Your potassium and magnesium are probably fine as well, and you can add table salt to foods."

AILEEN BURFORD MASON, immunologist and nutritional consultant, Toronto

"In Canada, 25 per cent of people have hypertension, and one in three would not have it if his or her sodium intake were lower. Processors and restaurants are responsible for 80 per cent of our salt intake. We add 10 per cent ourselves, and 10 per cent occurs naturally in food. If we asked restaurants to cut the amount, we'd see a dramatic improvement. Hypertension causes two-thirds of strokes, one-half of all cases of heart failure and one-quarter of all cases of kidney failure and heart attack. Hypertension is one of the major drivers of dementia. There are more effective ways of reducing hypertension than reducing salt, like increasing physical activity, losing weight, getting enough soluble fibre and eating low-fat dairy products."

NORMAN CAMPBELL, professor of medicine, Libin Cardiovascular Institute, University of Calgary

"We know salt is associated with blood pressure, so we concluded that anything we could do to reduce blood pressure would achieve the same risk profile of lower-risk populations, but that hasn't turned out to be true. Some studies even suggest that there may be an increased risk for cardiovascular disease with a reduced salt diet, since it increases insulin resistance and can affect plasma renin activity. Until 12 years ago, we did not look at the net effects [of reducing salt] and only looked at blood pressure. Even then, about a third of the population responded [positively] to salt restriction. What we need is a five-year controlled intervention trial."

RICHARD L. HANNEMAN, president, Salt Institute, Alexandria, Virginia

"Salt is one of those essential elements we need in moderation. There are people who are salt-sensitive. Your intake should depend on your sensitivity level. Salt helps stimulate the kidneys, helps promote fluid metabolism and has a moistening effect. A little bit [taken internally] is good if your skin is very dry. It also has a mild detoxifying effect. In Chinese medicine it is also known as a s oftener for hardened lymph nodes, glands or muscles. It gently promotes bowel regularity. Most importantly, it needs to be kept in balance with potassium. Aside from causing hypertension, too much salt can interfere with calcium absorption and lead to poor bone health. If you have PMS and bloating, it's important to reduce your salt intake as well."

DU LA, naturopath, Toronto

Not to pick a quarrel with experts (especially since Ms. Bromstein kindly denotes me one), but Ms. Mason is just flat-out wrong about salt intakes increasing from 200 mg/day to 5,000 mg/day over the past century. In fact, sodium intakes are virtually the same at about 3,500 mg/day. Dr. Campbell employs the classically flawed extrapolation of blood pressure to heath outcomes; a model rejected by direct health outcomes studies. And the solution to the "bloating" probem identified by Mr. Du is to drink more water, not consume less salt.

That said, the experts also made some important points: Ms. Mason points out any health problem owes to the imbalance of sodium on one side and potassium and magnesium on the other, advising to eat more fruits and vegetables so that your "potassium and magnesiium are probably fine as well and you can add table salt to foods." Balance and moderation: good advice. Though limiting his comments to blood pressure and not health outcomes, Dr. Campbell concedes the same point: "There are more effective ways of reducing hypertension than reducing salt, like increasing physical activity, losing weight, getting enough soluble fibre and eating low-fat dairy products." And Mr. Du agrees: "Salt is one of those essential elements we need in moderation. ... Most importantly, it needs to be kept in balance with potassium."

Thank you, Ms. Bromstein for your reasoned advice. For more on the Salt Institute perspective see our summary and reference citations .