Salt adds years and zest to life
The U.K. Telegraph reported the story of 110 year old Mary Brown, of Surrey, who attributes her cenetenarian plus status to sprinkling all of her food with plenty of salt . Despite all the negative publicity issued by the Food Sandards Agency's anti-salt campaign , Mary kept to her regular consumption of salt and has lived far beyond the average life expectancy. We wish her continued life and good health.
This is not the first time we hear that salt contributes to continued good health in later years. One Canadian cardiologist wrote us that he felt the low salt diets often prescribed to the elderly led to chronic dehydration and hyponatriumia (salt defficiency). As a result. people became very drowsy and suffered a range of salt-defficiency-related metabolic disorders. Often, this led to instability in walking or standing and a significant jump in the risk of large bone or pelvic fractures - all due to a low-salt diet. The cadiologist in question had been treating patients for 65 years - more than a lifetime of experience. He finishes his letter by saying,
"Spending your golden years in a retirement home with a low-salt diet will convert your last years to a long chronic illness."
Despite her love for salt, 110 year old Mary Brown says, "Everything else should be taken in moderation, except family and friends.
