AMA mistaken on salt science
The American Medical Association’s House of Delegates adopted a resolution today urging the federal government to pressure food manufacturers to reduce the amount of salt in processed foods. The AMA has misread the science, confusing blood pressure effects with health outcomes. Of the thirteen studies that have examined whether cutting salt will reduce heart attacks or improve mortality – what AMA calls “the population burden of cardiovascular disease” – not a single study supports the AMA resolution. Four studies even show the AMA “solution” might create additional risks. The latest study, published in the March issue of The American Journal of Medicine by the current president of the International Society of Hypertension and using the federal government’s largest database of nutrition and health, found that the group following the AMA’s recommendation had 37% higher mortality – they died earlier than did those on higher salt intakes. Following the AMA recommendation is scientifically unjustified and a waste of time and money. What we really need is a controlled trial of the health outcomes of salt reduction.
