Salt need needs investigation.

Salt need needs investigation. Br J Nutr. 2020 Jan 21;:1-26 Authors: Leshem M Abstract Expensive and extensive studies on the epidemiology of excessive sodium intake and its pathology have been conducted over four decades. The resultant consensus that dietary sodium is toxic, as well as the contention that it is less so, ignore the root cause of the attractiveness of salted food. The extant hypotheses are that most sodium is infiltrated into our bodies via heavily salted industrialized food without our knowledge and that mere exposure early in life determines lifelong intake. However, these hypotheses are poorly evidenced and are meagre explanations for the comparable salt intake of people worldwide despite their markedly different diets. The love of salt begins at birth for some, vacillates in infancy, climaxes during adolescent growth, settles into separate patterns for men and women in adulthood, and, with age, fades for some and persists for others. Salt adds flavour to food. It sustains and protects humans in exertion, may modulate their mood, and contributes to their ailments. It may have as yet unknown benefits that may promote its delectability, and it generates controversy. An understanding of the predilection for salt should allow a more evidence-based and effective reduction of the health risks associated with sodium surfeit and deficiency. It is the purpose of this brief review to show the need for research into the deter...
Source: The British Journal of Nutrition - Category: Nutrition Authors: Tags: Br J Nutr Source Type: research