A new study has found that heart failure patients who restrict their sodium intake may actually be increasing their risk of death. The study, presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session, analyzed nine randomized controlled trials and found that patients whose sodium intake fell below 2.5 grams per day were 80% more likely to die than those who consumed more.
However, researchers caution that this doesn’t warrant a salt free-for-all and that limiting sodium intake is still the way to go in managing heart failure.
The study supports previous claims that salt is not the enemy and that over-restricting sodium has no benefits for heart failure patients. The FDA advises Americans to eat no more than 2.3 grams of sodium per day, but a US adult typically consumes 3.4 grams daily.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US, with 695,547 lives claimed in 2021 alone, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Experts recommend limiting sodium intake by eating fresh fruits and vegetables and avoiding processed, boxed and canned foods.
»Reducing salt intake could be deadly for heart patients«