Diet High or Low in Sodium Injurious to Heart

People with heart disease may increase their risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure and dying from cardiovascular causes if they consume a diet high or low in sodium, according to researchers at the McMaster University. Average intake of salt was linked to lesser hospitalization for heart failure or fewer deaths due to heart diseases.Scientists studied the urine samples for sodium output in about 30,000 patients with heart disease. The participants who excreted the most sodium (more than 8gm) were approximately 50-70% more likely than the group with average excretion (between 4-6gm) to experience heart attack or stroke or die from heart disease. While, the people who excreted the least sodium (less than 2gm) were 37% more likely than the average group to die of heart-related causes and 29% more likely to be hospitalized for heart failure.

The findings have been published in the 'Journal of the American Medical Association'.

Source-Medindia