Should YOU cut back on SALT??

What are the health effects of reducing salt or replacing it with salt substitutes? A look at the science of salt reduction, salt substitutes and heart disease and death risk.

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Animations: Even Topland @toplandmedia

References:
recent salt substitute trial:

large trial from 2021:

salt reduction trials:

Disclaimer: The contents of this video are for informational purposes only and are not intended to be medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, nor to replace medical care. The information presented herein is accurate and conforms to the available scientific evidence to the best of the author's knowledge as of the time of posting. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions regarding any medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of information contained in Nutrition Made Simple!.

#NutritionMadeSimple #GilCarvalho

0:00 Swapping salt
1:46 High potassium
3:12 Low sodium
3:37 Heart disease
3:59 Death
7:07 Reducing salt
8:42 Limitations
9:40 Salt in normal BP
11:10 Salt & exercise
12:25 Sodium or potassium?
13:49 Iodine

[Randzhabar]

Highest quality non-partisan videos on nutrition I’ve seen on YT, thanks as always

[HPLeft]

I am a 68-year-old man who switched from regular sodium to Losalt (a UK-manufactured product with 170mg of Sodium to 450 mg of Potassium chloride per 1/4 teaspoon) a couple of years ago. I am currently also on a low dose of calcium channel blocker. My blood pressure is now consistently in the high 110s or low-middle 120s (after previously experiencing blood pressure in the 140s to 160s). I also rigorously avoid any packaged food where potassium is not at least greater, if not double-to-triple, sodium. I am extremely happy with my results.

[rthib]

I appreciate your channel more and more as time goes on. Some nutrition channels start with valid, solid info, then as time goes on veer into personal opinion and then blossom into full-fledged Gurus! You have stayed true to your original stated purpose, and you info is extremely valuable. THANK YOU SO MUCH! Ron from NH

[heatherh.]

This is still the best source of information regarding diet and health on the internet. Thank you!

[shahid-irshad]

Audio podcast please. I’ve been requesting this for a long time now. I know this can be time-consuming for you maybe but this will help your regular followers a lot like me who can listen while driving or cooking thanks

[hannstv]

Really like and respect this channel. A lot of good info explained in a very clear manner.

[Firebuck]

Thanks for the quick course in statistical power. Now that I understand it better, I can see how important it is for evaluating what a study can (and cannot!) tell us.

[AndyMorrisArt]

Another great video. Years ago I had BP around 135/85 and I had absolutely no idea how much sodium I was getting because i just ate whatever which included a lot of fast food which certainly tasted salty quite often. So I don't know what my sodium intake had been possibly over 4 grams a day. All I know is that I started reading packages and cooking most meals at home and targeted 1500 mg of sodium a day, plus I started walking ~ 4 mornings a week 30-60 minutes at a pace of 3.8 mph. I lost weight fast about 10 pounds and my BP dropped to 122/70 which the doctor said was good, so since then I try to get about 1500 mg of sodium daily.

I see YT Videos talking about people need more salt but they're usually put out by "doctors" promoting Carnivore or Meatcentric super high protein diets that are scared to death of Lectins & Phytates so I ignore them, but I do understand that our bodies need sodium. I've heard that the minimum daily need is around 500 mg so I figure if I'm between 1000 and 1800mg I'm probably in a good zone, but of course I don't really know for sure.

[avoycendeether]

I'm glad I hung on until the end. I'm going to take your advice & pick up a home BP monitor. Didn't realize how affordable they are.

[itaygev]

Gil i came to your channel through physionic, and i've got to say i'm not dissapointed by one bit. heavily researched content, intresting and diverse subjects, and lastly the videos are just straight to the point without scrumbling too much. i'm subscribed and waiting for more intresting content as in the meanwhile, i watch more of your old videos.

[MrPopestar]

For about 30 years I suffered from ectopic heart beats. I finally found the cause - not enough salt in my diet. As someone who never adds any salt to my cooking or food and someone who is fairly active and drinks lots of water, I think my system was lacking in salts. I now add some sea salt to my cooking and I have had a massive reduction in ectopic heart episodes.. So yes anecdotal, but I didn't have enough salt in my system..

[espenstoro]

As a lifter who drinks between 4 and 5 liters of water daily without even trying, I'm bumping my salt a fair bit nowadays. Especially since I'm in a calorie deficit, I get less salt due to less food, so I put it in water before training. I'm not running to the bathroom twice an hour anymore, I stay hydrated, and performance is so much better. BP seems to be fine as of now.

[ruthhorowitz]

From my experience cardio reduces BP way more than reducing salt intake.

[ffxiiangel]

The balancing act of my sodium, potassium, magnesium intake was a challenge for me about two years ago. I feel like I’ve finally gotten it figured out now and it’s made a world of a difference on how my body feels. I had hypertension and it’s gone back to normal.

[MatthewWhelptonIceland]

With the current interest in the gut microbiome, you will often see recommendations to eat more kimchi and fermented vegetables but these are higher in sodium. Can you do a video reviewing the health benefits/challenges of eating more fermented vegetables?

[JasS]

I salt my food pretty generously and I generally avoid UPF and realised through tracking that it’s almost impossible to over-consume salt if you’re not eating pre packed foods

[mirandamom]

How can mortality be the only important outcome? Quality of life matters to me, and I’d much rather not have to deal with the sequelae of a stroke or heart attack!

[kenwin]

I always have a low blood sodium, often just below normal. My potassium is usually on the upper end or slightly over. I never salt food, and eat a high fibre diet. I still have high blood pressure. Diet has had no impact on BP, but the rest of my health is very good. I am moderately active.

[hjglass]

Hi Gil. I’ve been following and enjoying your content for a couple of years and am now studying to become an RD. Want to start off by saying thank you so much for your work - I find the way you communicate science really inspiring and I often share your channel with friends and family who come to me with nutrition questions. This is a bit of a tangential topic request, but since it’s related to sodium I thought I’d put it in this chat. I was wondering if you could do a deep dive on the science behind all the electrolyte drinks/powders we see nowadays and their claims that they improve hydration. It seems like a LOT of sodium for the average person who probably is already getting too much and as far as I can tell its recommended use case would be very particular - athletes who are sweating a lot, maybe lactating moms, or people who’ve recently had GI distress that caused vomiting/diarrhea. And in the latter case, I would think that it would actually be more beneficial for it to contain some glucose to improve water absorption and thus rehydration in the gut via sodium-glucose cotransporters. However many of these drinks market themselves as sugar-free, which seems to be counterproductive to their purpose. Would love to hear your thoughts. Thank you!!

[dan-qetb]

I've been on antihypertensive drugs since 2006, and I think people need to understand that high blood pressure, is a complex, multifactorial health condition, with a genetic component, and not just "something that happens when we eat too many salty foods". The following also sound right at first: "cholesterol is something that happens when we eat too many burgers and deep fried foods", and, "diabetes is something that happens when we eat too many sweets". Those are overly simplistic. I get ten hours a week of exercise and my body fat has become very low. That's still not enough for me to get the lower number below 80 all the time. The numbers do line up with what Gil had presented in a recent video (the table that had the multiple actions you could take, and what the related reduction in your bp would typically be). But, I've been exercising for a very long time and haven't gotten any younger. Some people do need the boost from the medications. It's possible that the hydrochlorthiazide I was taking until recently, was making me pass too much potassium. It was low off the scale last summer, one time, even though I eat lots of potassium containing foods and supplemented slightly too since it had been over 100 degrees when I was exercising. The doctor had pointed out that potassium on the low side of normal means my kidneys are working well. I got potassium chloride, but I use it little, and cook from scratch. I have my sodium and potassium levels tested several times a year as part of the standard metabolic panel. How do people know if they need to take supplements or not, or how much, if they don't get this done?