So I have suffered food tasting like crap for how many years?

Bugger

Don't worry. Tomorrow it'll be back to low salt being essential. Just hold on one more day and it'll be worth it again:)

This is very bad news for those of us who are on a low-salt diet for other than heart-related medical conditions. Besides the obvious physical dangers, manufacturers will have no pressure to offer more low sodium foods so those of us who have no other choice in diet will have even less food items to choose from. I'd like a study of what those on the lower sodium diet actually ate to see if their food choices are what made their cholesterol, fat and hormones levels rise or was it just purely the lack of salt? And how much salt did they actually consume each day? Not enough information here!

This is a great example of how people need to actually understand what scientific studies mean. For years it was said that high salt intake increases blood pressure but what was very interesting was that very few people asked the obvious questions : HOW MUCH DOES "HIGH" (HOWEVER MUCH THAT IS) SALT INTAKE INCREASE BLOOD PRESSURE AND IN TURN HOW MUCH IMPACT DOES THAT HAVE ON MY HEALTH - IS IT ACTUALLY WORTH WORRYING ABOUT ? If they actually read the studies instead of just listening to the media hype then they wouldn't be so afraid of salt. But there's more to it than that, just because salt might increase blood pressure it doesn't mean it's the end of the story you must also take into account it's possible positive benefits of salt and.........oh why do I even bother trying to teach people a LITTLE bit about critical thinking?!

What they gonna say next, a puff or two of smoke a day is not so bad?

Another glaring example of "scientific" studies leading to unsupportable diet recommendations. Medicine, at best, is still only a pseudo-science.

I do take this news with a grain of salt.

My father had congestive heart failure in 1974, at age 53. He was placed on a low soduim diet and given several drugs to take. Ten years later, his heart exploded, and he was dead before he hit the floor. My two older brothers have passed this age without any problems with their hearts. I had congestive heart failure in March, and I turned 53 in August. My doctor, is world famous for his work in congestive heart failure, and placed me on a low soduim diet and the SAME EXACT DRUGS MY FATHER TOOK! He spent several minutes explaining to me what outstanding research had been done, in the last twenty five years, and how the drugs were the best available to help me live a long productive life! I asked him many, many questions about my diet, the drugs, my condition, and my longevity. He repeated the same garbage that they told my father 37 years ago! He was extremely upset when I explained that my father had, had the same exact condition, with the same exact drugs, and the same diet. His chances of surviving one year, with this condition, was 50/50. My chances of survival for one year are, you guessed it 50/50. After all of this time, this is the best that the medical industry can come up with. They do not have an understanding of the role of calcium on the metabolism of cells in the body. They do not understand immunity. Have a great day everyone.

There have also been discussions lately about the lack of iodine in our diets (which has been added to some salt since the 50s). Less salt, kosher salt and sea salt = less iodine, which can have health ramifications, too.

One area that most doctors and researchers agree on is that folks w/kidney failure CANNOT have salt. High blood pressure is one of the causes of kidney failure, but does too much salt cause the high blood pressure???

I agree w/ one of the comments above. After all these years, is this all they've come up with? Why can't there be more definitive studies about these issues?

There was never any good evidence that low salt diets were useful for blood pressure or heart disease. It all started with a study of people living near lake Titicaca, the highest lake in the world. Because it is so high, any trace salts flow out of the lake, and are never replaced. The people living there eat low salt, and have low blood pressure. That's the "evidence" that started it all. Genetics was not considered. Increased heart and lung size from the extreme altitude was not considered. Other environmental and dietary factors was not considered. Salt was demonized based on scant evidence.

Potassium and Magnesium levels (or lack of) have a much greater impact on blood pressure than sodium does. Many people are put in danger by low salt diets.

The American Heart Association recommends people consume no more than 1.5 grams of salt per day. (The average American consumes about 3.5 to 5 grams per day, he said.)

I believe they meant to say 1.5 grams of sodium. Sodium makes up only about 40% of table salt (NaCl) by weight. So 1.5 grams of salt is only 600 mg of sodium.

It's the sodium dummy. It's what you get when food proccessors make your food.