Salt & Human Health

Americans have the wrong view of the Russian command: "Off to the salt mines!" Eastern Europeans for years were treated for respiratory problems like asthma by housing them in salt mines where the air is free of airborne pathogens. When the Iron Curtain fell, two related developments could be anticipated: 1) hopes were raised that the contributory air pollution in the East would be rectified and 2) scientists in the West would examine the vast Russian-language literature on speleotherapy (treatment by internment in salt mines).

A new study in Allergy magazine earlier this year by J. Hedman and a team of Finnish researchers has documented the response of asthmatic patients treated in salt chambers. "Salt chamber treatment reduced bronchial hyperresponsiveness as an add-on therapy in asthmatics with a low to moderate dose of inhaled steroids," the researchers concluded, suggesting further study for the treatment "as a complementary therapy to conventional medication."

Citation: Allergy 2006: 61:605-610.

Posted by Dick Hanneman at 11:45 AM | Permalink

FoodProcessing.com has challenged the American Medical Association to stick with its knitting and focus on combatting infectious diseases which it calculates kill 100,000 hospital patients annually. It's editorial echoes the Salt Institute's reaction to a recent AMA embrace of a call by the Center for Science in the Public Interest to have the Food and Drug Administration rescind the GRAS status of salt and resume its 1980s-style salt-bashing. There are useful links under "Related Information" at the end.

Posted by Dick Hanneman at 10:54 AM | Permalink

"Sodium: the missing link" is timely advice for ulta-endurance Ironman competitors, but it contains useful information about the importance of sodium (salt) to a healthfully-functioning body. RaceAthlete.com has this advice:

Sweat rate, genetics, fitness level and acclimatization will affect the amount of sodium lost during a race. A well-conditioned, heat acclimatized athlete would lose about 920-1840 mg per liter of sweat per hour of racing. If you can get an idea of your personal sweat rates, a good place to start with Na supplementation would be in the middle of that range. For example, if the average sweat rate is = 1.5 liters per hour, about 1380 mg Na per liter = 2070 mg Na (about 2 grams) is lost per hour.

We are making assumptions since we can never really know how much sodium a person looses unless tested. For instance, another elite Australian Ironman triathlete went to the Gatorade Sports Institute to determine his Na needs. Through testing, they found he needed 3,000 mg per hour! This demonstrates the wide range of Na intake between individuals.

With hot summer weather here and still ahead, this advice could make your outdoor exercise enjoyable or even save your life.

Posted by Dick Hanneman at 10:42 AM | Permalink