Save Money, Save Lives! Eat Less Salt!

Sometimes it helps to repeat myself.  At least that's what I think when it comes to my kids.  But maybe it's true regarding salt, too.  Remember the Cochrane Collaboration (Database & Library), the extremely well respected group promulgating evidence-based medicine?  They just announced that after analyzing 13 studies involving 75 participants w/T1DM and 158 w/T2DM, a reduction in daily salt consumption by 8.5g/d was associated with a decrease in systolic blood pressure by 7mm Hg and in diastolic blood pressure by 3mm Hg.  This is at least equivalent to taking any first line blood pressure medication with huge potential cost savings.

Of course that's great news.  However, my first gut reaction was who in the world eats that much salt every single day in this age of health consciousness?  Obviously, these individuals missed the study published in February that projected that reducing dietary salt intake by just 3g/d could decrease the number of new diagnoses of heart disease by 60,000 to 120,000, stroke by 32,000 to 66,000, heart attacks by 54,000 to 99,000, and all-cause mortality (the Holy Grail for physicians) by 44,000 to 92,000 ANNUALLY!  

Just released last month for publication this month, a study evaluating individual accountability in Australia projected a median cost-effectiveness of A$100,000/DALY (disability adjusted life year).  They then went on to claim that population health could improve by 20x that amount if the government would step in and legislate lower salt limits in processed foods.  1984 anyone?