Salt: Is It Killing Us?

Sept. 15, 2006 — -- In the past, fierce wars have been fought over salt, a popular seasoning and important food preservative.

Now the American Medical Association has asked the Food and Drug Administration to regulate the amount of salt that food manufacturers can put in their products.

Specifically, the AMA wants the FDA to withdraw salt from the list of foods that are "generally recognized as safe."

In its recommendations, the AMA called for a "50 percent reduction in sodium in processed foods, fast food products, and restaurant meals to be achieved over the next decade."

The American Heart Association recommends that consumers choose and prepare foods with little or no salt to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Additionally, the Association says Americans should aim to eat less than 1,500 mg of sodium per day.

Sodium, which occurs naturally in many foods, is not a poison and is actually considered an essential nutrient. It is a mineral that helps maintain fluid balance in the body, and it is commonly consumed in salt.

For those with hypertension, a form of heart disease, numerous health organizations recommend lowering sodium intake.

However, Dr. Stephen A. Siegel, clinical assistant professor or medicine New York University School of Medicine's division of cardiology, is concerned that general recommendations for an entire population are not appropriate, because just as people have different metabolisms, they have different sodium excretion rates.

"Salt excretion during the day is influenced by many factors -- daily activity, environmental conditions," like heat and humidity, "renal function and overall fluid intake," he said.

Anecdotally, Siegel has seen some young vegetarians who maintain low-salt diets and exercise vigorously outdoors during the summer months who complain of headaches and muscle fatigue. Often, adding salt to their diet improves their symptoms.

Additionally, Siegel said, people who suffer from neuro-cardiogenic syncope, or vaso-vagal fainting, require excessive amounts of salt or hormones to restrict sodium excretion to decrease the frequency of fainting episodes.