Issues & Positions
Salt & REACH
EuSalt is fully aware of the REACH regulation n° 1907/2006, which came into effect on 1 June 2007, of its time-table for pre-registration in June 2008 and registration of substances and of the possible consequences for downstream users of chemicals.
*See our position paper
Salt & Blood Pressure
Salt has been said to be the main trigger for a high blood pressure, and as a consequence for cardiovascular diseases, for many years. Yet, not one scientist has come to valuable research results that prove this point. Instead, recent studies have shown minimal achieved reductions in blood pressure, no relationship between the magnitude of the reduction of sodium intake/excretion and the blood pressure effect, and no evidence of an effect of sodium reduction on death or cardiovascular events. Some evidence even suggests adverse effects from low sodium diets associated with rather undesirable changes like increased insulin resistance, activation of the rennin-angiotensin system and increased sympathetic nerve activity. *
* See our Salt & Science Newsletter, our Position Papers and our Press Releases.
Salt and the Elderly
The elderly are the people most at risk from a low-salt diet. Hyponatraemia (low sodium level in the blood) is dangerous and the symptoms can develop into a coma if left untreated.
Different physiological changes that occur as part of the aging process have the effect of making older people more sensitive to an electrolyte and water imbalance.
Many elderly people deliberately decrease their salt intake because they think it might cause them a high blood pressure. This assumption, however, is not based on any relevant medical and scientific evidence. Instead, some studies suggest that a decreased salt intake might be one of the causes of polypathia (a multiplicity of illnesses).
So, for the elderly, it is particularly important to improve fluid intake and not to restrict salt intake.*
* See our Salt & Science Newsletter, our Position Papers and our Press Releases.
Salt and Food
Since the beginning of history, people have been using salt. First to help them survive, and later to help them preserve food. Today, salt has become n essential ingredient for many of our favourite foods (bread, cheese, ...).
The reason why salt is so effective for the preservation of food, is that salt creates a hostile environment for micro-organisms by reducing the amount of 'free water' in the food.
On of the most commonly known trumps of salt; however, is its ability to improve the flavour of many foods.
It is clear that salt plays an essential role in the preservation and flavouring of many foods.*
* See our Position Papers and our Press Releases.
Salt and Water in the Body
Between 50 and 75% of a human's body is made out of water (depending on the age). Furthermore, a human body contains between 14 and 250g of salt (child - male adult). These two substances make sure that crucial bodily functions take place. Since the human body cannot produce its own salt, it relies on the necessary intake. A healthy body processes just the amount of salt it needs. Any excesses are disposed by the kidneys.
Recent research, however, has shown that the body disposes of a second mechanism to regulate 'too much' or 'too little' salt in the body: the "osmotic inactive" sodium storage.*
* See our Position Papers and our Press Releases.
Salt and Pregnancy
For many years, pregnant women have been advised to lower their salt intake to prevent developing a high blood pressure, pre-eclampsia or HELLP-syndrome. Recent scientific findings, however, do not support these theories any more and sometimes even state the opposite: in Germany, a pre-eclampsia organisation found that with women with pre-eclampsia, additional salt helped within hours.*
* See our Salt & Science Newsletter, our Position Papers and our Press Releases.
Iodized Salt
Iodine is essential to human life: it helps to control the thyroid hormones that play a role in almost all physiological functions. An insufficient Iodine intake or Iodine Deficiency (ID) can therefore have serious consequences on health and well being.
In discussing the fight against ID, the WHO (World Health Organisation) called Iodized salt "A spectacularly simple, universally effective, wildly attractive and incredibly cheap technical weapon.*
* See our Position Papers and our Press Releases.
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