When it comes to salt, the Dietary Guidelines process leaves a lot to be desired. In what should be an objective evaluation of the available evidence, the Institute of Medicine, one of the two organizations that run the Dietary Guidelines, has always managed to manipulate the process to support their population-wide salt reduction agenda. Their representatives have always made it a habit to acknowledge only that data which supports their case and disregard all the clinical evidence that weakens it. Well, they’re at it again!
With no fanfare, and behind closed doors, the IOM has constituted a Committee on the Consequences of Sodium Reduction in Populations whose task will be to develop a consensus on the quality of the publications describing the negative consequences of low sodium intakes. Normally, this would be an occasion to congratulate the IOM for turning a corner and finally recognizing the large body literature they have so long ignored - but have they?
This study will be financed by the CDC, currently directed by Dr. Thomas Frieden, the former New York City Health Commissioner who initiated the National Salt Reduction Initiative. Since he took over the helm of the CDC, population-wide salt reduction has become a priority for this organization. Thus, the money behind this IOM study comes from a source already committed to national salt reduction.
To pervert the situation further, the Committee is made up of individuals that are publicly on the record as actively supporting population-wide salt reduction. Fully 80% of the committee is down on paper as strongly supporting this. It would be difficult to find a more exaggerated case of conflict of interest then this Committee. After repeatedly supporting salt reduction in public, how can they objectively evaluate all the evidence that completely contradicts everything that they have said?
When it comes to the salt agenda, the IOM has not changed one bit. Their approach is as illegitimate and intellectually unethical as it always has been. Their goal is to degrade the credibility of all the evidence that counters their agenda and they have put together a Committee of hatchet men and women to do the job.
The IOM’s Kangaroo Court is now in session!
You can see the full Salt Institute’s response to the latest IOM initiative here (pdf 371.19 kB) .
