May 1, 2024

Limiting Salt Consumption – Can It Actually Hurt You?

This is an observational study, and as such, cant establish cause. Not all relevant data from the TOPCAT trial were offered, while the cooking salt score was self-reported, acknowledge the scientists. And reverse causation, where individuals with poorer health may have been encouraged to additional restrict their salt consumption, cant be ruled out.
Physicians should reconsider giving this guidance to patients,” they conclude.

The study discovered that limiting salt consumption too strictly might get worse the outcomes of a common type of heart failure.
Black and other ethnic minorities, along with more youthful individuals, seem to be at the most risk.
Limiting salt usage is thought to be an essential part of treating heart failure, research published in the journal Heart reveals that doing so too significantly might potentially make things even worse for those who have a typical type of the condition.
The findings suggest that the most vulnerable groups are young individuals and those of black and other ethnic cultures.
Salt limitation is regularly suggested in cardiac arrest guidelines, but the perfect range (from less than 1.5 g to less than 3 g daily) and its effect on clients with heart failure with maintained ejection portion is uncertain since these kinds of clients are regularly excluded of appropriate research studies.

Heart failure with maintained ejection fraction, which makes up half of all instances of cardiac arrest, occurs when the left ventricle, the lower left chamber of the heart, is not able to fill with blood properly (diastolic phase), leading to less blood being pumped into the body.
The scientists used secondary analysis of data from 1713 TOPCAT trial participants who were 50 years of age or older and had cardiac arrest with maintained ejection portion in an effort to even more investigate the link in between salt intake and heart failure.
A phase III, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled research study, this trial was created to discover out if the drug spironolactone could effectively deal with symptomatic heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.
Participants were asked how much salt they regularly contributed to the cooking of staples, such as rice, pasta, and potatoes; soup; meat; and vegetables, and this was scored as: 0 points (none); 1 (⅛ tsp); 2 ( 1/4 tsp); and 3 ( 1/2+ tsp).
Their health was then kept track of for approximately 3 years for the primary endpoint, a composite of death from cardiovascular disease or admission to healthcare facility for heart failure plus aborted heart attack. Secondary outcomes of interest were death from any cause and death from cardiovascular disease plus medical facility admission for cardiac arrest.
Around half the individuals (816) had a cooking salt score of absolutely no: more than half of them were guys (56%) and most were of white ethnic background (81%). They weighed significantly more and had lower diastolic high blood pressure (70 mm Hg) than those with a cooking salt rating above absolutely no (897 ).
They had actually likewise been admitted to hospital regularly for heart failure, were most likely to have type 2 diabetes, have poorer kidney function, be taking meds to manage their heart failure, and have a lowered left ventricular ejection portion (lower cardiac output).
Participants with a cooking salt score above zero were at significantly lower risk of the primary endpoint than those whose rating was no, primarily driven by the reality that they were less likely to be admitted to a hospital for heart failure. But they were no less most likely to pass away from any cause or from heart disease than those whose cooking salt score was no.
Those aged 70 or younger were significantly most likely to gain from adding salt to their cooking than those older than 70 in terms of the main endpoint and admission to a hospital for heart failure.
Similarly, those of black and other ethnic cultures seemed to benefit more from including salt to their cooking compared with those of white ethnicity, although the numbers were small.
Gender, previous medical facility admission for cardiac arrest, and the usage of heart failure meds werent related to heightened threats of the determined outcomes and cooking salt score.
This is an observational research study, and as such, cant establish cause. Not all appropriate information from the TOPCAT trial were readily available, while the cooking salt rating was self-reported, acknowledge the researchers. And reverse causation, whereby people with poorer health may have been encouraged to additional limit their salt consumption, cant be eliminated.
Lower sodium intake is typically associated with lower high blood pressure and a minimized danger of cardiovascular disease in the public and in those with hypertension. It is thought that it decreases fluid retention and the triggering of the hormones associated with blood pressure regulation.
But restricting salt consumption to control cardiac arrest is less straightforward, say the researchers. It might trigger intravascular volume contraction, which could, in turn, reduce congestion and the requirement for water tablets to reduce fluid retention.
Their study findings show that the volume of plasma in the blood– an indication of blockage— wasnt considerably associated with cooking salt score, suggesting that low salt intake didnt alleviate fluid retention in people with heart failure with maintained ejection portion, point out the researchers.
Physicians should reconsider providing this advice to patients,” they conclude.
Reference: “Salt limitation and risk of adverse outcomes in cardiac arrest with maintained ejection portion” by Jiayong Li, Zhe Zhen, Peisen Huang, Yu-Gang Dong, Chen Liu and Weihao Liang, 18 July 2022, Heart.DOI: 10.1136/ heartjnl-2022-321167.
The research study was moneyed by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Guangdong Natural Science Foundation, and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation.