31–40 of 72 posts
It amazes me how bad much of the dietary advice out there is, scientifically speaking. Somehow something like politics gets mixed in. It would be comical if it didn't lead to so much unnecessary death and suffering.
http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/you-cant-trust-what-you-...
To me, the story of salt strongly highlights the difference between science (as in, the results of scientific experiments and careful reasoning), and "science", the things the general public is told science has found by journalists and policymakers. Not only was there was never a strong scientific basis for telling people to reduce their salt intake, my anecdotal observation is that it's fairly easy to wind up salt-d…
What I find interesting is that this issue about sodium being unhealthy never really reached Europe (or at least Germany). While the US was advertising "low sodium" on their products we are still mostly advertising "low fat" and have some "low carb" pioneers. It seems to me that the whole "sodium is bad" scheme was a poorly supported health tip gone viral.
It certainly reached the UK. I recall salt manufacturers being up in arms when the government started pushing for lower salt intake a good few years ago. A few brave scientists even appeared onscreen to say that sugar not salt was the real problem. At the time though there was less hostility to sugar so the salt restrictions went into force and I believe the sugar lobby even were able to squash a few reports condemni…
It's so ingrained in many people that reviews such as this one will not change their attitude.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Looked up a nutrition label online: https://healthyeatingrocks.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/lays-... 1 oz: 150 Calories 180 mg sodium multiply by 20/3: 6.667 oz: 2000 Calories 1.2g sodium The kosher salt in my cupboard (ingredients: salt and an anti-caking agent) is 40% sodium by mass (480 mg sodium per 1.2 grams). Or, going by the atomic mass listed here ( http://www.chemicalelements.com/show/mass.html ), sodium chlo…
I've read somewhere before that the issue may be K vs. Na balance. Take that with a grain of ... nevermind.
Wikipedia says: an ion pump exchanges 3 sodium ions for 2 potassium ions. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium )
3 sodium ions is 69 atomic mass units. 2 potassiums is 78.2 atomic mass units.
I particularly enjoy the seemingly wilful conflation with hyponatraemia (too low sodium).
> European researchers publishing in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that the less sodium that study subjects excreted in their urine —an excellent measure of prior consumption— the greater their risk was of dying from heart disease
Nobody has ever argued that NO SALT is the right idea. So of course people with the lowest output, people with hyponatraemia and knackered kidneys, are going to have other issues. Sodium is essential for neural function and osmotic control.
And the outcome of main meta-analysis in this wasn't "DO THIS INSTEAD" it was to recommend conducting an actual long-term controlled study to see what the actual effects of sodium control are.
Either which way, repeatedly highlight articles that say "EVERYTHING YOU KNEW BEFORE WAS WRONG: DO THIS INSTEAD" just makes people give up completely. Especially when the meta-meta-analysis is as weak as this is.
I've done pretty physical construction work during summers. Drinking 6L of water during the day in the process. After three weeks, sucking grains of sea salt tasted better than any candy. Until they suddenly didn't.
On the other hand, during the winter pickles started to taste really bad.
I try to eat my salt so that I actually taste it. When you mix it evenly to mashed potatoes, you only get to taste fraction of the actual salt. And if you put lot's of salt to bacon, your belly will prioritize fat over getting too much salt. This is all based on the idea that my body knows what is best for it. But I have to enable that sometimes.
So excess of it ceases to cause higher blod pressure or liquid retention, especially in overweight and obese?
I'm not sure what your question is, but the complicated thing with blood pressure is that it is regulated by your body. So if you do something or eat something that raises your blood pressure, your body will respond by lowering your blood pressure. And if you do things to lower your blood pressure, as it says in the article, your body will respond by releasing renin and aldosterone to increase your blood pressure.
Prolonged exess of sodium which is maintained by habitual consumption of packaged foods causes imbalance and unnecessary burden to the system, so it works much less effective with obese people.
Water retention in various places of the body is also caused by exess of salt, which is a side-effect of a chronic imbalance.
To me, the story of salt strongly highlights the difference between science (as in, the results of scientific experiments and careful reasoning), and "science", the things the general public is told science has found by journalists and policymakers. Not only was there was never a strong scientific basis for telling people to reduce their salt intake, my anecdotal observation is that it's fairly easy to wind up salt-d…
To me, the story of salt strongly highlights the difference between science (as in, the results of scientific experiments and careful reasoning), and "science", the things the general public is told science has found by journalists and policymakers. Not only was there was never a strong scientific basis for telling people to reduce their salt intake, my anecdotal observation is that it's fairly easy to wind up salt-d…
Problem is: the real scientists didn't speak out loudly. And, the bigger problem: many of them as well as others have very good reasons for keeping shut. Few people want to be vilified by mainstream media and the PC crowd.
As someone who eats strictly keto (low-carb/high-fat), I actually have to make a concerted effort to get enough salt in my diet due to my naturally retaining less water than non-keto people. This includes making somewhat high-salt food choices wherever reasonable — bacon, pickles, salted butter, cooking with salt in general, etc. — as well as actually adding a salt/electrolyte solution to the water I drink throughout…
How much time have you been doing it?