Zout, kalium en de kans op hart- en vaatziektes*
Steeds meer studies laten zien dat (keuken)zout toch niet zo slecht is als men al jaren in de medische wereld verkondigd. In keukenzout is
natrium het belangrijke element. Een laatste studie laat zien dat het minderen op keukenzout het risico op een hartziekte en de kans op doodgaan daaraan duidelijk doet verhogen. Uit een andere studie blijkt dan weer eens dat het waarschijnlijk wel belangrijk is om voldoende
kalium met de voeding binnen te krijgen. Als men dagelijks twee keer zoveel kalium als natrium consumeert halveert men de kans op een hartziekte en de kans op doodgaan daaraan. De voeding met het hoogste kaliumgehalte blijken de vruchten van de apenbroodboom te zijn.
High Potassium-To-Sodium Ratio May Reduce Risk Of Cardiovascular Disease
Americans are consuming too much sodium and not enough potassium according to clinical studies, including one by the Journal of the American College of Cardiology recently covered in Heart Insight. This imbalance is taking a toll in the form of higher rates of heart disease and stroke, the first and third most deadly diseases in the U.S., respectively, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Baobab, a superfruit new to North America, is a convenient way to boost dietary
potassium.
The baobab superfruit naturally offers the highest overall concentration of this important mineral. While in the past doctors recommended bananas, sweet potatoes and tomato paste as sources of potassium, baobab offers even more of this nutrient - five times the amount of potassium per gram compared to bananas, according to Baobab
Foods.
Multiple nationwide studies, such as one published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, have analyzed the risks of a high-sodium, low-potassium diet. The average American ingests just 2,600 mg of potassium a day versus the 4,700 mg recommended by the USDA's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. At the same time, Americans consume 4,000 mg or more of sodium daily, far higher than the suggested 2,300 mg recommended maximum. While healthy dietary guidelines proposed in the Archives of Internal Medicine suggest a 2-to-1 ratio of potassium to sodium, the actual average intake is nearly a 2-to-3 ratio. Excess sodium causes the body to retain fluids, raising blood pressure and increasing the risk of heart disease.
Consuming twice as much potassium as sodium can halve the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease according to a study by the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. This study suggests that simply increasing potassium may mitigate the negative impacts of a high-sodium diet. Dr. Gregg Fonarow, professor of cardiology at UCLA and member of The American Heart Association, has stated, "Clinical trials have established that a diet high in potassium and low in sodium can significantly lower blood pressure." In addition to lowering blood pressure, high potassium intake is believed to prevent thickening of artery walls, protecting against the development of vascular damage caused by excessive sodium intake.
New Medical Study: Reduced Sodium Linked To Deaths
Medical research has again confirmed that cutting back on salt is hazardous to your health. A new, government-funded study in the Journal of the American Medical Association finds that even modest reductions in salt intake are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and
death.
The study debunks claims by the Food and Drug Administration and others pushing for population-wide reductions in salt consumption. In addition, the increased risk of death was evident within the range recommended by the U.S. government's Dietary Guidelines on sodium, which means U.S. citizens who follow the dietary guidelines on sodium will be at risk.
"We now know conclusively that the U.S. government's war on salt consumption will cause harm," said Lori Roman, president of the Salt Institute. "This study confirms previous research indicating that reductions in sodium lead to an increased risk of disease and death. Therefore, we call on government agencies to stop their population-wide sodium reduction agenda and amend the Dietary Guidelines on sodium. We simply ask them to 'First, do no harm.' "
The study in JAMA concludes that lower sodium is associated with higher mortality. "Taken together, our current findings refute the estimates of computer models of lives saved and health care costs reduced with lower salt intake. They do also not support the current recommendations of a generalized and indiscriminate reduction of salt intake at the population level," wrote the authors.
This is not the first study challenging the conventional wisdom of the anti-salt movement. Other studies show:
Low-Salt Diet Leads to Higher Mortality
An examination of the largest US federal database of nutrition and health (NHANES), published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, found a higher rate of cardiac events and death with patients put on low-salt diets -- a result perfectly consistent with the late
study.
Risk of Diabetes
A 2010 Harvard study linked low-salt diets to an increase in insulin resistance, the condition that is a precursor to Type 2 Diabetes. Recent studies out of Australia show that individuals with type I or type II diabetes die in much greater numbers when placed on a salt restricted diet.
Falls, Cognitive Problems, Among Elderly
Because of declining renal function in the aging body, the kidneys retain less sodium. Recent studies have shown that elderly people with hyponatremia have more falls and broken hips and a decrease in cognitive abilities.
Low Birth Weights, Poor Brain Development
A 2007 study found that babies with low birth weight are also born with low sodium in their blood serum because their mothers were on low-salt intakes. Another study found that infants with low sodium may be predisposed to poor neurodevelopmental function between the ages of 10 and 13.
No Link Between Hypertension, Salt, in U.S. Population
If salt consumption and hypertension were linked, both would be rising. But a 2010 paper by two Harvard researchers shows that while hypertension has increased among Americans over the last 40 years, sodium consumption has remained flat.
(September 2011)
Reacties:
