Salt reduction could save 92,000 U.S. lives a year

Reuters ^ | Jan 21, 2010 | Gene Emery

[pennboricua]

Salt is the new Cigarette, something to be taxed in order to save lives, unlike tobacco the tax base is much greater.
Taxing of salt was one of the first things done by the British in India, not to save lives just increase revenues, Gandhi led a revolt against that tax.

[decimon]

That’s right. You will be denounced and punished if you do not follow orders to contribute to the health of the collective.

[CitizenUSA]

If citizens start asking government to pay for their health care, then they better be prepared to give up the freedom to eat what they want and live like they like.

[pennboricua]

That box costs two dollars now!
In order for the Government to protect you they will increase the cost to four to six dollars, in taxes.

[decimon]

Just my 2c —to each his own!

And that's the point, your choices are individual. Your post is suasive, not coercive.

[elli1]

Salt, which contributes to high blood pressure and heart disease, is widely overused in the United States, with 75 to 80 percent coming from processed food. Men typically consume 10.4 grams per day. For women, the average is 7.3 grams. Its use is rising.

A reduction of 1 gram would prevent 11,000 to 23,000 strokes, 18,000 to 35,000 heart attacks and 15,000 to 32,000 deaths from any cause, the researchers reported in New England Journal of Medicine.

IOW, they're suggesting reducing sodium intake by 10-15%. Hardly draconian.

[P-Marlowe]

Everybody dies. You can’t “save” lives. If you cut out salt you will still die. And if you cut out too much salt you will die quickly.

[decimon]

IOW, they're suggesting reducing sodium intake by 10-15%. Hardly draconian.

Suggesting? This is not an appeal to individuals but a call for legislation.

[Pecos]

And THAT is the problem.

Memo to Washington: GET OUT OF MY WAY AND GET OUT OF MY LIFE. IF I DIE BECASUE OF MY DECISIONS, I DIE.

And now, back to more pleasant subjects.......

[Coldwater Creek]

Salt enhances the flavor of of food! I’m well into my sixties, have used salt freely all of my life. My blood pressure is low, and I’m not obese.

[Western Phil]

SALT AND HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE Gabe Mirkin, M.D. You may have read newspaper reports that a study in The Lancet showed that people who took in the most salt had an increased risk for heart attacks, even if they did not have high blood pressure. How can this be? Nobody has ever shown that a high salt intake causes heart attacks without also causing high blood pressure. The only way that taking in excess salt can cause heart attacks is by increasing blood pressure that damages arteries. If you take a look at the study data, you will see that only the obese men who took in too much salt had an increased risk for heart attacks. This did not happen to women or to men who were not obese. So the newspaper reports should have stated that a study in the British medical journal, Lancet, shows that obese men who take in a lot of salt have an increased risk for heart attacks and this risk has nothing to do with salt because obese men who take in too much salt also have higher blood cholesterol levels and have an increased risk for high blood pressure. It is eating more fat, refined food and extra calories, not the salt that causes heart attacks. It is ridiculous to state that taking in lots of salt causes heart disease without causing high blood pressure. If you exercise regularly and restrict salt, you will suffer frequent bouts of tiredness, muscle weakness and cramping that can only be relieved by taking in extra salt. Salt is the only mineral that you lose in large amounts with exercise, and lack of salt causes chronic fatigue in regular exercisers.

From: http://www.drmirkin.com/heart/9166.html

Dr. Mirkin is an old doctor who used to run marathons, but bicycles now due to wear & tear on his knees. His conclusion seems to be that salt is necessary if you intend to survive while exercising.

[Bellflower]

The real secret deadly weapon hidden in American's food is not salt it is msg. truthinlabeling.org

[Moonman62]

Actually, with today's modern food packaging and refrigerator technology, we don't NEED so much salt in our foods to start with.

True, and some of the food with the highest sodium content is frozen food.

[Moonman62]

Well I guess I have to start hoarding salt now along with gold, ammunition and incandescent bulbs. It’s only a matter of time before the statist bans it.

The real problem isn't the salt that people put on their foods. It's the sodium that's added as part of food processing, which usually can't be tasted.

[wideminded]

I think I would want to hear more about the latest evidence on this. Several years ago there was an article in Science about salt that said there were two groups of scientists at odds on whether salt was really bad for you, and that each side was using relatively slim evidence to prove their point. It sounded like there was a lot of politics involved and people had staked their careers on one side or the other.

[Reeses]

There are many similarities to the global warming issue, with scientists suppressing data that does not support their hypothesis.

[domeika]

I hope the statists try to ban or punatively tax it. While they're chattering and debating it would be a perfect opportunity to march down to the beach and have a tea salt-party and produce a few thousand tons of it just to give the shite away and make them look like fools. Hey, it worked for Ghandi.

[TheRightGuy]

could prevent up to 66,000 strokes, 99,000 heart attacks and 92,000 deaths in the United States,

just imagine ... a new city of 92,000 popping up each and every year ... where are we going to put them all

EAT MORE SALT

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

After tons of obit searches I still can't find the name of the person who died and made Bloomberg king.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks decimon.