The Benefits and Detriments of Salt: It's Complicated

Controversy surrounds recommendations about sodium consumption. In a pooled analysis of four partially manufacturer-supported studies involving 133,118 individuals from 49 countries (roughly half hypertensive and half normotensive), investigators sought to define the relationship between sodium intake and cardiovascular events. The study group comprised participants in four prospective studies for whom measures of 24-hour urinary sodium excretion were available. These measures were used to infer intake. The median follow-up was 4.2 years.

The results varied by hypertension status: higher sodium intake was most strongly associated with higher systolic blood pressure in those with hypertension, although the association was positive in both gro…