Satin says previous Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committees made recommendations that were confidently portrayed as evidence-based, yet a short time later were forced to be withdrawn when the published science, as well as the impact of the recommendations, proved the Guidelines to be wrong. The Salt Institute proposes that the Committee will need to step back from its restrictive guidance on salt just as science has already required it to do on guidelines for fat. The Salt Institute has been on record for years asking HHS for a large scale randomized controlled trial to determine the impact of salt on health outcomes of Americans, stated Satin.

Salt is made up of sodium and chloride, both nutrients that are essential to life. Sodium is critically involved in maintaining the osmotic balance of body fluids; it is required for all nerve impulse transmission, including those from the brain; it controls taste, smell and tactile processes and helps muscles, including the heart, to work. The chloride portion of salt is essential for the digestion process; it is required for absorbing potassium and preserving the acid-base balance in the body and is essential in eliminating carbon dioxide from our tissues.

According to Roman, perhaps the greatest failure of the Dietary Guidelines is their priority focus on single nutrients rather than the whole diet. Concerns over blood pressure would be better addressed if Americans would eat more salads, vegetables and fruits. Italians consume more salt than Americans yet they have better cardiovascular health because they eat a well balanced diet. They use salt to make healthy foods more delicious, said Roman.

Source: www.salthealth