Salt - The Science Was Settled!

The science was settled on salt, or at least the talking points were - less was better, and the typical American consumed too much.

Now it turns out the low-salt deniers may be on to something; here is NBC News:

Pour on the Salt? New Research Suggests More Is OK

BY JUDY SILVERMAN AND LISA TOLIN

New research suggests that healthy people can eat about twice the amount of salt that’s currently recommended — or about as much as most people consume anyway. The controversial findings could potentially undercut widespread public health messages about salt.

An international study of more than 100,000 people published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that while there is a relationship between salt intake and high blood pressure, if you don’t already have high blood pressure and you’re not over 60 or eating way too much salt, salt won’t have much impact on your blood pressure. 

In fact, people who consumed 3,000 to 6,000 milligrams per day had a lower risk of death and cardiovascular events than those who had more than 6,000 mg or less than 3,000 mg. 

Oh, no - another Big Government dietary fail?!? The WSJ also managed to find the lead. However, dead-enders such as the LA Times and NPR led with the conventional wisdom and only lit the candle of truth late in their coverage. Here is NPR:

Death By Salt? New Study Finds Too Much Sodium Is A Global Killer

by Allison Aubrey

Americans are accustomed to being nagged about salt. We're told we consume too much — particularly from processed foods. And that all this salt can increase the risk of high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes.

Turns out it's the same story most places around the globe. Worldwide, people consume an average of 3,950 milligrams of sodium a day, according to a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. And though there are regional daily differences, ranging from about 2,000 milligrams to 5,500 milligrams, the global average is nearly double what the World Health Organization recommends.

This salt overload is taking its toll. The study concludes that about 1.65 million deaths from cardiovascular disease each year can be attributed to sodium consumption.

Wait a second! Are these people reporting on the same study? Well, no - three related studies were published simultaneously and diligent readers will learn a lot as they press on. First, where is the "too much salt" belt?

So, where are the global hot spots, when it comes to death by salt? This study finds that (see figure 2 and figure 4) the proportion of deaths from heart attacks and strokes attributable to sodium ranges quite a bit. In Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand, about 10 percent of cardiovascular deaths (among people 70 and younger) are linked to high salt intake.

But there's a wide band in the study map, stretching from Eastern Europe all the way across into Central Asia and East Asia. There, the percentage of cardiovascular deaths attributed to sodium consumption jumps up to 20 to 25 percent.

"What seems to be linking those countries [in this band] ... is that this is the Old Silk Road [trade] route, where people traveled many distances and needed salt to preserve their food," says Mozaffarian. Centuries later, this tradition of eating salt-preserved foods remains strong.

So this story is especially topical to their listeners living along the Old Silk Road. So what was NBC going an about with salt being OK here in the US?

Not all researchers are convinced that consuming high levels of sodium is harmful. In fact, the same issue of theNew England Journal of Medicinepublished another study that questions whether recommendations for low sodium consumption are valid for everyone.

The study found the link between sodium and cardiovascular disease is strongest when blood pressure is elevated — and that potassium, a nutrient found in fruits, vegetables and beans, can help lower blood pressure. The study suggests that if you don't have high blood pressure, it might be okay to consumer 3,500 milligrams of sodium a day, as is typical among Americans.

The author of this study, Dr. Salim Yusuf of McMaster University in Canada, told the AP, that it's better to focus on healthy patterns of eating instead of a single element. "That is something everyone can rally around," Yusuf told the AP.

Oh. So the takeaway is that Mayor Bloomberg ought to be leading Kazakstan. Works for me.

The LA Times went with the scare headline:

Excess sodium intake linked to 1.65 million deaths annually

The WSJ seized the day:

Low-Salt Diets May Pose Health Risks, Study Finds

Findings Are Latest Challenge to Benefits of Aggressively Low Sodium Targets

Something for everyone, especially the many folks seeking affirmation rather than information.

SINCE YOU ASK: Gary Taubes, the King of Low Carbs, was a low-salt denier a while ago. And I stand by this old rant of mine about the USDA conventional wisdom:

WebMD includes a pictorial of the new Nos, which include salt, saturated fat, solid and trans fat, added sugars, fast food, and refined grains.

What is this, the Dietary Legion of Doom?  Instead of a clear message identifying a villain we have this muddled soultion cobbled together by a committee, with so many bad guys that the public won't have any idea who the real dietary villains are.

And to compound the puzzlement, check out this ignorance from the Times reporter:

And given the level of obesity in America, some question if anyone is paying attention.

Yike!  The whole point of the Gary Taubes book is that back in the 70's and 80's the medical establishment coalesced behind the idea that dietary fat led to fat in the bloodstream, and from there to heart disease.  Here is TIME magazine in 1984 and the NY Times very ownJane Brody in 1987 ranting against cholesterol.  (And FatHead has agreat riff on Ms. Brody's own struggle with cholesterol.)

And, per Taubes, people did listen, at least enough to embrace the message that carohydrates are heart-healthy. 

And how has that all worked out?

The good news is, the government scarcely has any credibility left to squander.

 

Comments

[Janet - the districts lie fallow, while the Capitol gorges itself]

What an excellent post, Tom.
Why can't YOU replace David Gregory?
We are in dire need of some fresh "question askers" out in the MFM.

[Miss Marple]

Low-salt diet is dangerous?

"High school kids: Michelle Obama is trying to kill you!"

Works for me.

[Neo]

They were studying asteroid 1950 DA, which has a one in 300 chance of hitting the planet on 16 March, 2880.

Although the odds seem small, it is the most likely asteroid to collide with Earth and the odds are higher than being shot dead in the US.

At least these researchers at the University of Tennessee are doing something better than Nanny Bloomberg and the Brady Campaign

[Sue]

Wow. The "kid" stopped by police for doing nothing had just robbed a store. Pictures available Mr. President.

[peter]

one thing is sure--smoking still kills
just lost a colleague-- he had been battling a blood disorder for years but I am sure his pack a day habit didn't help. Poor guy was probably only 52

[Beasts of England]

Mother of the Beasts was always a salt poo-pooer. Skew to the latest food warning, suggest low-fat sour cream or under-season something in her kitchen and you'll get the basswood spoon across you knuckles.

Cum magna grano salis.

[narciso]

Shocking, I know.

[Sue]

Looks like a beer summit might be needed.

[Eric in Boise]

Something for everyone, I see. I'll put myself in the "Low-salt diets kill" camp. And pass the Cheddar Jalapeno Cheetos.

Mmmm. Cheddar Jalapeno Cheetos.

[Sue]

The police officer was trying to arrest a suspect. Poor innocent Mike Brown objected.

[rse]

Heads UP!

Apparently the WH is launching the US Digital Service today and I would be willing to bet all this data on preferences of government customers will be available to one side in the 2016 election.

This is from the press relaese:

"As technology changes, government must change with it to address new challenges and take advantage of new opportunities. This Administration has made important strides in modernizing government so that it serves its constituents more effectively and efficiently, but we know there is much more to do.

Last year, a group of digital and technology experts from the private sector helped us fix HealthCare.gov – a turnaround that enabled millions of Americans to sign up for quality health insurance. This effort also reminded us why the President’s commitment to bringing more of the nation’s top information technology (IT) talent into government is so critical to delivering the best possible results for our customers – the American people.

A core part of the President’s Management Agenda is improving the value we deliver to citizens through Federal IT. That’s why, today, the Administration is formally launching the U.S. Digital Service. The Digital Service will be a small team made up of our country’s brightest digital talent that will work with agencies to remove barriers to exceptional service delivery and help remake the digital experience that people and businesses have with their government…

The Digital Service will also collaborate closely with 18F, an exciting new unit of the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). GSA’s 18F houses a growing group of talented developers and digital professionals who are designing and building the actual digital platforms and providing services across the government…."

I believe a core part of the President's Management Agenda involves managing each of us, steering if possible, and controlling via lucrative conflicts, regulation, the IRS, and workforce regs the private business sector.

[Miss Marple]

I am off to the food pantry.

Back this afternoon. Take good notes.

[Beasts of England]

Perhaps the bullet that killed scholar Mike Brown was a warning shot that ricocheted off of his halo?

[Neo]

... and don't forget this Times piece ...

Diet and Fat: A Severe Case of Mistaken Consensus

You can even replace all the reference to "fat" with "Gorebal Warming" and it still works

LUN

[clarice]

Beasts your mom and mine (Mine's 95) would get along. When the first food scare--pesticides in cranberries --came along before a Thanksgiving she bought twice as much. She said they'd always been grown the same way; we'd eaten them for years without problems and the price was right.

[clarice]

was the cop who shot Brown black?http://theblacksphere.net/2014/8/ferguson-cop-is-black-plus

[GMax]

The "Teenager" was 18 and an adult and several reports I saw put him at 6 foot 3 inches tall and 320 pounds. Police officer reported to have visible swelling of the face, I guess maybe that was a random bee sting too, right Big Al?

[Janet - the districts lie fallow, while the Capitol gorges itself]

There's a special trick I do with fat-free food: Throw it away.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/409508_360799467264341_726571064_n.jpg?oh=747188fc2f4bf725139f06099f3f4465&oe=547F1F9E&__gda__=1416328224_1b9ea2e11767b7f0ee5e22f4d73e43bc

[clarice]

Not sure blacksphere is right. He cit4es no source that I can see.

[Neo]

So they are saying that there is a video of Mike Brown steal something (perhaps, Skittles and Arizona Ice Tea ?) just before his untimely encounter with authorities.

[Beasts of England]

Exactly, Clarice!

[rse]

Does anyone here think having an agile government at all levels will work well?

http://www.agileforgov.org/

[Jane]

"Pictures available Mr. President."

No worries, he's just a slightly larger Trayvon Martin, who certainly could be Michelle's son, with a different father. And he's black so if he really was robbing that store, it's not his fault, because he is black. Plus he was going to college the very next day, and he was black.

[DebinNC]

Ferguson Police Chief provided the officer's name, even helpfully spelling it for reporters. He mentioned video related to the store robbery would be made available, and I think he noted MB fit the "bolo" description officers received immediately after the robbery ... which I think I heard him say occurred less than 20 min. before MB was killed. Hard to believe the embattled chief would come out publicly and say that if it weren't provably true. Why he took to the street to speak, instead of speaking from police headquarters, seems very unwise though.

[rse]

Agile is based at Berkeley. Maybe Reich can be lured at another couple 100K to be involved.

Help bring equity for all.

[jimmyk]

Ok, so maybe the "scientific consensus" turned out wrong on really complicated stuff like salt and fat in the diet, but surely we can rely on the consensus regarding really simple stuff like global climate, where there's no scope for bothersome tasks like controlled experiments, right? I'm sure politicians wouldn't jump on board merely for the opportunity to dispense taxpayer money to cronies, and researchers would not be tempted to skew their results merely to get lots of funding. Some people are so cynical, but our President has said that's a choice.

[DebinNC]

FOX has video of MB at scene of robbery. LUN

The description that went out before the shooting was of a black male, 6"4", 292 lbs., wearing baggy shorts, white shirt, and red SL Cardinals cap.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/08/15/ferguson-police-say-michael-brown-fit-description-strong-arm-robbery-suspect/?intcmp=trending

[narciso]

the usual suspects spill gasoline, all over the place, and the authorities have to come with the water truck, sifting through the ashes

[Sue]

Is the Quik Trip that was burned down the one that was robbed?

[narciso]

the store attendant appears to be black, from the photo

[Danube on iPad]

It is a great mystery to me why it has taken six days for the police to release the images and the info about Honor Student Brown's robbery of the convenience store.

[clarice]

Blacksphere has apparently deleted the story.

[Thomas Collins]

I don't salt my food, but I invariably buy the salted version of foods when given a choice (I am especially fond of salted cashews). So, I go both ways. When it comes to salt preference, I guess I am bi-saltual.

[Sue]

And why they haven't arrested the media's star witness who is also on the tape with the gentle giant.

[NKinLimbo]

The inconvient facts of being at the scene of a robbery rebut the honor student meme, and may explain why Obummer and Holder kept their racialists' mouths mostly shut. But those facts may not change this being a 'bad' police shooting. All of the circumstances up until the officer shoots fired will decide that.

[Sue]

TC,

::grin::

[DebinNC]

"The police report for the robbery also names Dorian Johnson as being with Brown in the convenience store they allegedly stole cigars from. Johnson was a witness to Brown's shooting and said that Brown had his hands up when he was shot." [Business Insider]

[Danube on iPad]

In the meantime, every time I reflect on David Gregory's situation and the stuff being said about him in the press, my face is suddenly wreathed in smiles.

[MarkO]

Someday, the police will murder a black Rhodes Scholar walking home from sitting up with cancer patients. Not yet, however.

If the officer did not hit him with the round fired in the car, why was he shooting him later? Is that what happened?

I think the police waited to be certain of their facts and, maybe, to let the false narrative be spilled out.

[Dave (in MA)]

I'm taking these initial reports of the robbery with a grain of salt.

[jimmyk]

the shooting was of a black male, 6"4", 292 lbs

Sure, but I want to see the more relevant pictures of him as a sweet 12-year-old.

The robbery would certainly explain the aggressive response to being stopped. We still don't know the circumstances of the shooting, but if the cop was black, that ought to remove the racial aspect of it. Too bad Obama didn't wait to open up his yapper about it.

[jimmyk]

Way to stay on topic, Dave!

[NKinLimbo]

DoT@11:08-- that's an easy for me. The Ferguson PD didn't want to realease any info until the facts of the shooting were ascertained. He may have been present at a robbery, but the police shoot may have still been unjustified and criminal. What changed? the shooting investigation has revealed the facts or, it's just ferguson PD Chief pushing back against the racialists' propaganda against his department.

[Dave (in MA)]

The robbery photos seem to show that the suspect was dressed exactly like the shooting victim.
http://allhiphop.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/michael-brown-ferguson-shooting.jpg?w=522&h=423
Don't click if you don't want to see a body lying in the street, albeit from a distance.

[jimmyk]

Incidentally, the Fox News blondie at DebinNC's link @10:58 refers to "the murder of Michael Brown." I presume inadvertent, but still...

[Danube on iPad]

Fox poll has Dems up, 46-39, in the generic ballot.

[DebinNC]

The PD Chief might have gone rogue. He certainly looked harried and somewhat unprepared to me.

Is strong arm robbery a felony?

[rich@gmu]

>>>Fox poll has Dems up, 46-39, in the generic ballot.

Posted by: Danube on iPad | August 15, 2014 at 11:21 AM<<<

I can feel the awesome from here.

glad to see you back beasts. and Go Gators!

[Threadkiller]

Why he took to the street to speak, instead of speaking from police headquarters, seems very unwise though.

If it was California I would say he was looking for a disability retirement.

It is very lucrative.

[DebinNC]

Pic of robbery incident report, describing what happened.

[jimmyk]

DebinNC, pretty sure that robbery of almost any kind is usually a felony, though it may vary by state.

[rich@gmu]

salt and butter make everything better.

[rich@gmu]

and up in NY another knockout game attack.

local story, move along.

[narciso]

so if Johnson, got away from Wilson, his narrative, is understandable, but 'what difference does that make anyways'

[DebinNC]

Anyone know if MB was shot in the front or the back? Seeing the robbery pics, I can imagine the officer following MB after being socked in the face and MB turning and raising his huge arms as if ready for Round 2 ... and Officer Wilson firing.

[rse]

In case any of the DC people want to attend this event on How Conservatives can save the Safety Net. http://www.aei.org/events/2014/09/04/how-conservatives-can-save-the-safety-net/?utm_source=Event&utm_medium=Paramount&utm_campaign=Carney

You can always report back to JOM.

[rich@gmu]

Deb-

wouldn't make a difference.

[Extraneus]

Lots of blood on the street in the pic Dave linked, it appears, with body face down, but I don't see any blood on the back of the white shirt.

[Extraneus]

new thread

[narciso]

btw, the 'peaceful demonstrations' are right up there with the Hamas ceasefire.

'Good news everybody' Hank Johnson's on the case

[NKinLimbo]

rich-- this NYC knockout story? Just disgusting behavior: http://nypost.com/2014/08/14/pregnant-woman-sucker-punched-in-knockout-game-attack/

[DebinNC]

A 33 yo black man with no criminal record sneaks up behind a 6 mos pregnant white woman and slams her in the head? That doesn't make a lick of sense.

[jimmyk]

There was another one a couple of days ago in the West Village where the victim was a 74-year-old man. Such real men these muggers are.

[Ignatz]

--A 33 yo black man with no criminal record sneaks up behind a 6 mos pregnant white woman and slams her in the head?--

Jimmy and NK, I hope to not see you carrying any flat screen TVs out of white owned electronics stores when the riots break out.

[jimmyk]

Meanwhile Mayor Bane gets the city to pay for his expensive vacations. (Why the city agrees to is another vexing question.)

http://nypost.com/2014/08/15/de-blasios-vacations-covered-by-taxpayers-unlike-earlier-mayors/

What a man of the people.

[NKinLimbo]

Mayor Bane = don't even get me started...

[henry]

rse, Agile is just the latest excuse for bad performance in large bureaucracies. Unless govt cuts out half of its management levels, it will be just as inept (at everything but email deletion) as usual.

[Roger]

Pretty much my whole life I've ignored mainstream medical advice and the FDA. The more people followed the guidelines of the FDA the sicker they got.

I've eaten butter, eggs, all the red meat and salt I want avoided margerine and trans fats like the plague but try to eat more veggies and less carbs and I'm doing pretty well.

[Danube on iPad]

In CA it's a felony.

[Danube on iPad]

Here's the CA statute:

"211. Robbery is the felonious taking of personal property in the
possession of another, from his person or immediate presence, and
against his will, accomplished by means of force or fear."

I'm not sure this event, as I understand (and imagine) it to have happened, quite fits the statutory language. I think maybe it was misdemeanor petty theft, and when it was detected he shoved the guy away.

[narciso]

as long as he can't get back from Corto Maltese (where Bane is from, in the original
strip

[jimmyk]

I think maybe it was misdemeanor petty theft

The story I saw was that when the clerk asked for payment ("That'll be $49") the perp said "No, I ain't paying," or something to that effect. The clerk then tried to stop him from walking out with the goods, and the guy (Brown, presumably) shoved him.

Not quite the same as an attempted shoplift. I can't tell whether the language applies to a clerk in a store.

[Danube on iPad]

"Not quite the same as an attempted shoplift."

To me, it depends on how it started out. If he originally attempted to sneak the stuff out of the store, and then roughed the clerk up when he got caught, it's a botched $49 shoplift, compounded by misdemeanor battery. In any event, if the cop had made a routine arrest, I doubt this would have been prosecuted as a felony.

[Danube on iPad]

Wow. Check out these gems from the guy NBC has picked to host Meet the Press;

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/geoffrey-dickens/2014/08/14/todd-takeover-top-10-list-most-liberal-outbursts-new-meet-press-ho#ixzz3ATnaRmcs

[DebinNC]

TY, DoT, for that definition.

[Danube on iPad]

Just saw the tape. Felony.

[DebinNC]

NYDN: "Johnson claims Brown was “shot like an animal” in the back after Wilson ordered them to get on the sidewalk. He said Brown had his hands up in the air and told the cop he was unarmed."

Liar. I can imagine MB, and perhaps Johnson, approaching the officer with hands up, while ignoring the officer's command to stop.

[Daniel Kleitman]

The reason high sodium intake leads to heart problems is a strange one. Your body regulates your sodium level in blood quite adequately. When you eat lots of salt sodium is rapidly removed from your body. The problem is that potassium is important and needed by your heart and helps keep your blood pressure low. And when your body expels your sodium it takes potassium (which is chemically similar) away with it. If you intake lots of potassium, high salt income does no harm at all. Low salt intake means low potassium intake and that harms you just as much as high salt intake for exactly the same reason. The present low salt recommendation cost lives in the USA today.

[DebinNC]

That's interesting, Daniel Kleitman. Any thoughts on iodized "table" salt v. kosher/sea salts? TIA

[Steg]

I have questions! What kind of 'sodium' were the people eating in these studies? Was it the natural content of the food they ate? Was it in added table salt to their meal? OK I reread and got some of those answers (I was excited the first time), yet I still feel the need to share the following:

I recently read Nina Planck's 'Real Food - What To Eat And Why'. I found it to be a very informative book. In regards to salt- us humans should eat pure unprocessed sea salt. No heat treating, no industry anything- just sea water evaporating and the salt scraped/sifted into jars. Sea water has all the elements in it, including trace amounts which we need. Heat treatment of salt removes a lot of these elements and takes away much of the holistic properties of natural sea salt. Also I hear the Himalayan pink salt is also really good, but I've never tried it. It seems to be the same as sea salt. (If your salt is WHITE, it's been heat treated! It should be gray).

[Steg]

its*

d'oh

[Steg]

Iodized salt has iodide added back into the salt, after it has been removed. Sea salts already contain it.

I'm not sure about kosher salt- mine is white so I believe it has been heat treated.

As an anonymous internet commenter, my totally unqualified assessment is to consume only sea salt.

A small granule is like a piece of hard candy.

The doc said my blood pressure was fine, went last Thursday. I've been putting a small bit of salt in my coffee grounds to quash some bitterness (really to get salt into my diet, though) for over/about a month.

Although I am 28 and a normal healthy man :)

Real Food was a fantastic and easy read- I highly recommend it for those curious about this and followers of Gary Taubes typed journalism.

[AliceH]

My sea salt (from Spain) has "This salt does not supply iodide, a necessary nutrient" in all caps and in a really big font across the front of the package.

[glasater]

I've read that the Himalayan pink salt is also good for digestion. Buy in the throw away grinders. Use it all the time.

Plus, the market where I shop has these 'infused' salts and have a site called seasalt.com.

[clarice]

sea salt is good for you and the body excretes it more quickly than it does iodized salt, I understand, BUT it does not contain iodine and you need some of that in your diet ,too.

[clarice]

I guess if you eat a lot of salt, "wash it down" with a banana.

[clarice]

"Eye witness" admits thru his lawyer that he was with Brown when the theft took place. Felony robbery, felony smacking cop in face, felony attempt to snatch cop's weapon, felony fleeing arrest. I see no way the cop can be charged.

[Stephanie]

Be careful buying 'pink salt.' There's pink curing salt, pink sea salt and pink bath salts. Several people have been hospitalized due to ordering pink salt off the net only to find out after a visit to the hospital and several days stay that they used pink bath salt on their food.

Remember the dude in Miami high on bath salts and eating faces? You don't want to be that guy.

[Jim Miller]

My eyes aren't good enough to be sure, but the talk show hosts on KTTH this morning thought the clerk in that Ferguson store is of Indian (Asian subcontinental, not American) descent. That wouldn't be unusual in such stores (as Joe Biden could tell you).

[clarice]

Brown must have been on skittles or something--Can't wait for the toxicology report:http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2014/08/exclusive-friend-of-officer-darren-wilson-speaks-out-on-shooting-of-mike-brown-audio/

[Jim Miller]

The pictures, and my eyes, aren't good enough to be sure, but the clerk in that Ferguson store looks to be of Indian (Asian subcontinental, not American) descent to me.

That wouldn't be unusual in such stores (as Joe Biden could tell you).

For those who know more about such things than I do (most of you): Are Swisher Sweets the kind of cigars often mixed with marijuana?

(I looked at the pictures and watched the video on the Daily Mail article.)

[FrancisChalk]

The main takeaways from this is article: 1. Mike Bloomberg is an ass and 2. NPR is for idiots.