Recent scientific papers suggest the basis for a global crackdown on salt is not what you'd call rock solid. Two 2011 studies indicate that the evidence is inconclusive, or that reducing salt may even be harmful."There's a view that salt is the root cause of all high blood pressure worldwide and some people religiously hold on to that belief," said Tony Heagerty, head of the cardiovascular research group at Britain's Manchester University and a former president of the International Society of Hypertension. "But the evidence for that is actually pretty flimsy."