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icallaci's review
2.0
I read this along with The Salt Fix by DiNicolantonio so that I could get both sides of the story at once. However, the few studies referenced in this book have numerous problems. Even the author admits that much of the evidence is inconclusive. For example, lower blood pressure MIGHT be due to lower sodium levels, but it might just as easily be due to significant weight loss by a study's participants. Instead of trying to design better studies, which the author says would be too expensive, he simply says that if the American Heart Association and others insist that salt is harmful, then it must be harmful, and everyone should drastically reduce the sodium in their (our) diets. The Salt Fix by DiNocolantonio is much more thorough, offers many more studies (both for and against salt, although admittedly most are pro-salt), and outlines some of the dangers of lowering sodium intake for certain populations (such as pregnant women). Lower sodium levels are sometimes (often?) accompanied by an increased heart rate, which negates any benefit of the slightly lower blood pressure obtained. All in all, I was disappointed in this book. It did not convice me that salt is the enemy of good health.
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