Salt and health for journalists
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Fact Sheets
- Salt and Cardiovascular Health Outcomes (pdf 23.94 kB)
- Salt: Necessary to Food Preparation (pdf 15.75 kB)
- Iodized Salt: Protecting Children and Adults (pdf 19.94 kB)
- Salt Appetite (pdf 14.97 kB)
- Hydration and Electrolyte Balance (pdf 18.19 kB)
Ask the experts (pdf 179.39 kB)
One minute videos
What exactly does the government recommend regarding salt intake? Dr. David McCarron
When blood pressure is reduced, is there lower incidence of cardiovascular events like heart attacks and strokes? Dr. Michael Alderman
Is it possible, practically, to conduct a prospective trial of health outcomes of sodium reduction? Dr. Michael Alderman
How does the evidence from randomized clinical trials square with current U.S. dietary recommendations regarding salt intake? Dr. Alexander G. Logan
Apparently reducing dietary salt intake has multiple effects. What's most important? Dr. Alexander G. Logan
Do we expect science to provide as definitive answers to questions of lifestyle interventions as we do for drug therapies? Dr. Suzanne Oparil
A lot of early work on salt restriction in animals used rather extreme diets. Does that explain early enthusiasm for salt restriction? What have we learned? Dr. Suzanne Oparil
Do studies suggest a relationship of dietary quality and salt-sensitivity? Dr. Alexander G. Logan
Is salt-sensitivity a genetic trait or do environmental factors affect blood pressure responsiveness to salt? Dr. David McCarron
Dietary quality seems to be important in blood pressure. Do nutritional factors affect people in the same way? Dr. David McCarron
Key Resources
The (Political) Science of Salt by Gary Taubes
"A Pinch of Science " New York Times by Dr. Michael Alderman
"A Salty Red Herring ," Food Technology by Morton Satin