health

Researchers with opposing views on salt intake are ignoring each other

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This article is perfect definition of "a grain of salt." Let research work continue for the benefit of next generation.

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The problem is too common for nutrition science and consist on very poor peer review. In many other fields a manuscript being reviewed that don't discuss evidence contrary of what the authors want to prove would be rejected immediately in the grounds of insufficient arguments, but on nutrition everybody is happy with letting them publish anything ignoring whatever may prove them wrong. Unless that change, this kind of problems will be perpetually present.

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Unless you have clear data, evangelical anti-salt campaigns are not just based on shaky science but are ultimately unfair. In other words a large number of promises are being made to the public concerning this enormous benefit and lives saved. Thus it's based on wild extrapolations and it's probably safe based on the evidence available so I think it's safe to just relax and salt your food provided you use a natural unrefined salt. My favorite is the Himalayan crystal salt which isn't polluted with the heavy metals and industrial toxins. It's minimally processed, hand-mined, hand-washed and contains 84 trace minerals from the prehistoric seas, and its crystalline structure actually stores vibrational energy, which is restorative to your body.

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Another example of how easy it is to be "blinded by science". Lewis Dahl was the doctor who "proved" that a high salt diet could cause heart disease.

First, he looked at which populations had the highest number of heart-disease related deaths, and which populations had the lowest. The countries with the highest levels of heart disease were for the most part industrialized nations, while the lowest levels of heart disease were in central Africa. People in industrialized countries consume a lot of salt, people in central Africa don't. But one thing was not mentioned, and that was that at the time of the study, the median life expectancy in central Africa was less than half that of industrialized countries. People in central Africa did not get heart disease because of a low salt diet, the didn't get heart disease because few central Africans lived long enough to develop it.

The country with the highest salt intake happens to be Japan. The region with the lowest salt intake remains central Africa. In Japan the median life expectancy is 78 years, in central Africa it is 35 years. Funny. I somehow doubt that salt intake has any relation to life expectancy, unless it is the opposite of what the study hoped to prove.

But Dr Dahl was able to induce hear disease in rats with a high salt diet. How high? The human equivalent of 500 grams of salt per day. 400 grams of salt did not increase heart disease. How much salt does the average person in an industrialized country consume? About 8 grams. One would have to increase one's salt intake by 60 times in order to develop heart disease.

But one thing about scientists, they hate to debunk one-another's work. Scientists have families to feed, and bills to pay, and calling their work into question, even if it is shoddy or wrong is not seen as a noble thing to do, particularly if the science is purportedly to promote the public good.

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depends on the type of salt:

My favorite is the Himalayan crystal salt which isn't polluted with the heavy metals and industrial toxins. It's minimally processed, hand-mined, hand-washed and contains 84 trace minerals from the prehistoric seas, and its crystalline structure actually stores vibrational energy, which is restorative to your body.

I call it Pakistani "sea" salt and it is about as pure as it gets. If it was a true "sea" salt it would have more impurities than it does. Most likely this salt came from the center of the earth, but the true origin is unknown. True sea salts will have more iodine which can be a benefit. Okinawa sea salt is an option for some.

For Vibrational healing -the Guru is Gurudas. He died in relation to a book he wrote about the U.S. gov (Treason: The New World Order) -hard to find book, but it is online. Anyway, he is really out there on the vibrational healing subject and also Nicoli Tesla was very interested in the light (energy) entrapped by plants and trees etc. Gurudas books can be hard to find. I have 2 or 3 but am behind on book reading and have only glanced at them. May want to look at "the law of one" before you start contemplating tougher subjects like this to keep education relative to learning and growth.

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