But experts say restricting intake is still advisable
WebMD News from HealthDay
By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, Jan. 19, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- Consuming a "modest" amount of salt might not harm older adults, but any more than that can damage health, a new study finds.
The study of adults aged 71 to 80 found that daily consumption of 2,300 milligrams (mg) of salt -- the equivalent of a teaspoon -- didn't increase deaths, heart disease, stroke or heart failure over 10 years.
However, salt intake above 2,300 mg -- which is higher than heart experts currently recommend -- might increase the risk for early death and other ailments, researchers said.
"The rate of salt intake in our study was modest," said lead researcher Dr. Andreas Kalogeropoulos, an assistant professor of cardiology at Emory University in Atlanta.
The findings shouldn't be considered a license to use the salt shaker indiscriminately. The researchers did not compare high salt intake with low intake.
"The question isn't whether you should have a teaspoon or two, but whether you should have a teaspoon daily or even less than that," he said.
The American Heart Association recommends less than 1,500 milligrams of salt a day, which is less than a teaspoon.
Kalogeropoulos added that the researchers saw a trend toward higher death in the few study participants who had a high salt intake.
The report was published online Jan. 19 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
For the study, the researchers looked at salt's effects on about 2,600 adults, aged 71 to 80, who filled out a food frequency questionnaire.
During 10 years of follow-up, 881 participants died, 572 developed heart disease or had a stroke, and 398 developed heart failure, the researchers found.
When the investigators looked at deaths compared with salt consumption, they found that the death rate was lowest -- 30.7 percent -- for those who consumed 1,500 to 2,300 mg a day. Those who averaged 1,500 mg a day had a death rate of 33.8 percent. Among those whose salt intake was more than 2,300 mg a day, the death rate was 35.2 percent.
source : A Bit More Salt Each Day May Not Harm Older Adults
