Congestive Heart Failure: Excessive Sodium Restriction is Dangerous

From DailyMail:

Salt has long been seen as enemy number one for people with heart problems, with doctors telling patients to cut down on the amount of sodium they consume.

But new research suggests that restricting salt too much may actually raise the risk of an early death in heart failure patients.

Their work builds upon a growing body of research that posits the benefits of cutting out salt to this subset of patients may be overblown.

And the findings could mean a more exciting diet for more than six million Americans with heart failure.

Compared to those CHF consuming patients over 2.5 grams of sodium daily, those eating below that limit were 80% more likely to die during the observation period. The Daily Mail article shares the sodium content of some common foods and will convince you that keeping sodium under 3 grams/day requires meticulous attention. If you have CHF, consult your personal physician before making significant dietary changes.

Steve Parker, M.D