Salt causes heart attacks, strokes, cancer, renal disease, and osteoporosis

• By sylvia6789
• Posted June 8, 2009 at 3:21 pm
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Hi rmchavin,

I just ordered some Himalayan crystal cooking salt, from Mercola.com, "because of all its incredible benefits". The items are in the mail.

Do you believe that this Himalayan salt is good for us? btw, Dr. Mercola also offers a bath salt.

Please advise, at your convenience,

Thanks,
Sylvia

• By SequoiaHealth
• Posted June 8, 2009 at 6:44 pm
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Hi rmchavin:
You forgot to include this one.

http://tinyurl.com/l7qnjs

Woody McMahon
NOVA Osteoporosis Support Group

• By rmchavin
• Posted June 8, 2009 at 10:42 pm
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Dear Sylvia6789:

No, I would not use Himalayan crystal cooking salt, sea salt, or any other "healthy improvement" over Morton's table salt. The big picture is that all dietary salt products are very bad for our health. A wealthy multimillionaire might consider buying his salt as chemically pure sodium chloride from a scientific chemical supply company at an astronomically high price. Or he might consider using the chemically pure sodium chloride tablets sold by Bausch & Lomb, which are normally intended for use in creating the saline solution necessary for wetting soft contact lenses. The Bausch & Lomb sodium chloride tablets for soft contact lenses can be purchased at your favorite drug store or Wal Mart. But middle class people very rarely, if ever, get around to actually wasting all that money on chemically pure salt. Keep in mind that by using chemically pure sodium chloride, we would only be minimizing our cancer risk (from the nitrates, nitrites, and nitrosamines associated with dietary salt). By switching to chemically pure sodium chloride, we would not be reducing our elevated risk for cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, hypertension-induced renal disease, kidney stones, and osteoporosis. So the healthiest solution is to simply do without any added salt in your cooking and at the dinner table. I personally just boil my frozen high-fat fish filets without adding any salt. I could eat my high-fat fish filets together with relatively healthy things like catsup (contains lycopene) or yellow mustard (contains curcumin) but I choose not to use these 2 condiments because they contain salt. So I "pepper" my boiled high-fat fish filet with things like chopped green onions, chopped leeks, sliced yellow onions, radish sprouts, broccoli sprouts, peeled fresh garlic cloves, sliced sweet bell peppers (all colors), fresh parsley, or fresh turnip greens. I also eat my daily one-cup serving of edamame (green, juvenile soybeans) with many of these sprouts, greens, and sliced onions on top. Nurses know that salt can be very useful for disinfecting wounds so don't throw away your chemically pure salt if you've already bought it. Morton's table salt (refined salt) is actually quite pure when compared against the supposedly healthier, more expensive variations of salt which are packaged to appeal to us in irrational ways so that they can be sold to us more profitably. Sea salt, for example, has all the toxic contaminants found in the ocean, while Morton's table salt (refined salt) is mostly just pure sodium chloride. The best place to get your trace minerals is from fruits and vegetables, not from sea salt, pink Himalayan salt, or Great Salt Lake (Utah) salt. Here are some web addresses that explain the differences between the various dietary salt products: http://www.curezone.com/foods/saltcure.asp http://www.seafriends.org.nz/oceano/seawater.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_salt http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_salt http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seawater http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_salt http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17713196

• By rmchavin
• Posted June 8, 2009 at 11:07 pm
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Whoops. I forgot to include http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himalayan_salt

• By sylvia6789
• Posted June 9, 2009 at 12:44 am
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Hi rmchavin,

I guess I should have saved some money and just don't use any salt. Normally, I check Wikipedia daily. Lately, ever since I got the diagnosis of Osteopenia, I've been busy trying to get the "right" stuff to improve my bones, without thorough investigations. I need to calm down, check things out, and/or consult with you first ;-)

As for the Hamalayan salt, I got 3 bottles! So, it will last me for a long time. Fortunately, they look kind of cool -- good for parties!

Best regards,
Sylvia

• By rmchavin
• Posted June 9, 2009 at 5:44 am
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Dear SequoiaHealth:

Thanks for sharing with us the UCLA School of Medicine Oct. 1994 PubMed research study that concluded that "...a small, statistically significant protective effect of sodium was found at the ultradistal radius in men....These results do not support a detrimental effect of dietary sodium on bone mineral density. Rather, the findings suggest that sodium intake, in the range measured, is not a major osteoporosis risk factor." I believe that this UCLA study arrived at the wrong conclusion because it relied on a 24-hour diet recall of people from 1973 through 1975 and then measured their bone densities 13 to 16 years later (from 1988 to 1991). A person's dietary sodium intake will change over a long period of time, especially if they were once used in a scientific study on dietary sodium intake and have subsequently learned how bad sodium is for their overall health. Here are 2 PubMed studies that I have never mentioned before that confirm that a high dietary sodium intake is detrimental to bone health: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16261460 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7572702

• By ValerieEvelyn
• Posted June 9, 2009 at 10:57 am
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Thank you all for the above information re. salt. I always use LoSalt, a salt substitute as I do like lots of salt, but I have now decided to give it up completely, I know many people who have and they say you soon get used to it. I am learning something new every day on this site. Valerie.

• By Loods
• Posted June 9, 2009 at 11:09 am
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I haven't used salt for a couple of years now and I try to avoid all salty produce. Believe me once you get used to not eating it you really don't miss it.

Instead I use lots of garlic, herbs and spices to add flavour. Tumeric is wonderful and excellent for health benefits.

• By SusanRae
• Posted June 9, 2009 at 12:05 pm
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I personally do not add salt to anything except for baked goods, where it plays a role as a leavening agent. Even then, I reduce the amount without detrimental effects.

You can find some salt-free seasoning blends available commercially--I found one I like. I found a tasty herb-blend seasoning recipe in Prevention Magazine. And as rmchavin does, chop up fresh veggies and herbs to "spice up" your cooking.

I did not attempt to read all of the studies linked in previous posts, but I would add two things:

1. Read the labels of your prepared foods. When I first started reading labels, I was shocked to find that one serving of my favorite clam chowder contained 51% of one day's allowance for sodium. That was for half a can and I had always eaten the whole can before. I would have gotten 102% of my sodium allowance from just one meal. (I haven't eaten it since.) You will find it in places you would never expect--such as cottage cheese. A 1/2 cup serving has 19% of one day's allowance!

2. A question: what about iodine deficiency if you cut out iodized salt? I guess it's not too much of a problem in the US anymore, but in some parts of the world it is. From what I understand, the salt in prepared foods has not been iodized.

Here's what Wikipedia and Go Ask Alice say--take it with a grain of salt (ha ha--or should I say LOL?)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iodised_salt
http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/2234.html

• By rmchavin
• Posted June 9, 2009 at 5:51 pm
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Dear SusanRae:

Thanks for reminding us about iodine deficiency and goiter. Here's what the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University says about iodine: http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/minerals/iodine/ In the U.S., people living in the states near the Great Lakes, such as Michigan and Wisconsin, can still be iodine-deficient. Worldwide, iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) affect 740 million people and nearly 50 million of those people suffer from some degree of IDD-related mental retardation. However, the best advice to give to most people living in the U.S. is to not worry about iodine, to not let iodine scare you into using more salt than you normally would, to not let iodine change what you are eating now. The single best food source of iodine is seaweed. All seafood, including fish, are the second best food sources of iodine. Fruits and vegetables also contain some iodine if they were grown in soils located within a few hundred miles from the ocean. Many multivitamin pills contain 100% of the Recommended Daily Allowance for iodine. (Unfortunately, they usually also contain animal-source vitamin A which is not good for our bone health).

• By rmchavin
• Posted June 9, 2009 at 7:19 pm
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According to the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University, "selenium deficiency may exacerbate the effects of iodine deficiency." http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/minerals/selenium/ Selenium and iodine have much in common. For example, reported deficiencies in human populations of both selenium and iodine can occur only if the soil was deficient in these 2 minerals. Fruits, vegetables, and grains can be adequate sources of selenium and iodine only if the soil in which they were grown contained adequate amounts of these 2 minerals. Fish and other seafood are the best and healthiest food sources for both selenium and iodine. (Brazil nuts frequently contain high levels of cancer-causing aflatoxins. Also, brazil nuts contain way too much selenium for human needs). Our dietary intakes of both selenium and iodine need to be optimized in order for us to reduce our risk of developing many diseases, including cancer. Multivitamin pills frequently contain 100% of the Recommended Daily Allowance for both selenium and iodine. However, although salt can be iodized, it is never selenized so STAY AWAY FROM SALT.

• By verginia
• Posted June 14, 2009 at 2:56 am
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Thank you for the info on salt. I have been using quite a bit of Celtic Sea Salt thinking it was safe and beneficial. I read somewhere that drinking pure bottled water (which I do) is lacking in minerals and to counteract this by adding a few grains of sea salt per litre.
I have learnt so much on this site.

• By Southernlady
• Posted June 14, 2009 at 4:44 pm
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My grandad loved salt and ate a lot of it.........never had any problems that are listed. He and my grandmother were married 63 years and she died on a Tuesday.......my grandad was doing great except for his broken heart ..........and he died the following Tuesday..........he was fine........no reason for death except it was his time to go. The loss of my grandmother really broke his heart. Salt never bothered him physically. I have cut down on my salt but it looks like anything can kill a person........no one knows what will kill what. I am not going to worry about my Osteo anymore........too much stress.........I am moving forward and living life and doing the best I can but thank you so much for this post........I do enjoy reading everything. I read these posts and take the advice as much as I can and I try to be so careful what I eat and take in......it is amazing that when all this is done what we enjoy is taken from us........not a way to live for me.........but I love this group.

• By Southernlady
• Posted June 14, 2009 at 4:47 pm
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I guess BP meaning Blood pressure........my blood pressure is so low they usually have to use a child's BP band......sometimes they wonder if I have a heartbeat....in fun but mine is really low, some of them being like 70/54 and I don't remember but very low and I ask is their anything I need to take or do and they say no.?????

• By rmchavin
• Posted June 15, 2009 at 2:31 am
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Dear Southernlady:

Sometimes during the final month just before a terminal cancer patient dies, his or her blood pressure will get extremely low. It very likely means kidney failure. He or she would need a special, unusual form of vitamin D. All the normal forms of vitamin D won't help. Most medical doctors won't get around to prolonging his or her life by prescribing this special form of vitamin D. What you need to do now is to make sure that your kidneys are in good health. Schedule a basic metabolic blood test. Another possible cause of extremely low blood pressure is heart failure. Get a second opinion from another doctor.

• By debbie59
• Posted June 15, 2009 at 10:40 am
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RM, Do you work for the NIH? There are many reasons for low blood pressure besides terminal cancer!!!! Being too thin can cause osteoporosis but obesity is, which you say you are, is not protective against anything, except maybe getting cold!! Obesity has become the number one problem in this country. Among many things, it's the biggest contributer to type 2 diabetes, cancers & heart disease. Human beings need a certain amount of salt and you're right we get way too much, mostly from processed foods. Selenium is usually present in fresh fruits and veggies as it's in the soil, but selenium is also a poison in too high amounts. We need to be careful about taking supplements without the Dr. telling you to do so. By the way are you a Dr.? I ask because you write so authoritatively. Please no more NIH sites! They only publish what the government wants.

• By rmchavin
• Posted June 15, 2009 at 2:17 pm
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Dear debbie59:

No, I'm not a medical doctor. No, I don't work for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). No, fruits and vegetables are not an adequate source of selenium even when the soil is rich in selenium: http://www.inspire.com/groups/national-osteoporosis-foundation/discussion/h ow-to-get-free-access-to-the-usdas-complete-nutritional-database/ This is very unfortunate since fruits and vegetables are very good for us in virtually every other way. Grains and brazil nuts can be good sources of selenium if the soil has adequate amounts of selenium. Seafood is always a rich source of both selenium and iodine. PikaB believes that his moderately poor bone health is partly due to his thinness. He believes that if he had been somewhat more overweight, his bone health would have been better: http://www.inspire.com/PikaB/journal/one-year-after-forteo/ If you are bothered by the research studies from PubMed, a service of the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, simply don't click their URLs (web addresses/links). Many people need to study these research reports before they can decide which expert to trust or who is more correct about something. Most of the PubMed research studies that I have shared were not funded or authorized by the U.S. government or any foreign government. A large percentage of them were funded by one pharmaceutical company or another.

• By debbie59
• Posted June 15, 2009 at 4:49 pm
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RM, All I am saying is by telling southernlady that she probably has terminal cancer or her kidneys are probably giving out because she has low blood pressure is beyond your or my pay grade. I have noticed that there are no Dr.s monitoring this site as there is on the National Jewish Health site. Even then I tend to listen to the advise of my Dr.s not them. I also understand that some people for economic reasons do not have access to the health care that I have. Mostly because my husband is retired from the military and also has private insurance. As for the great selenium debate, you only need 60 milligrams a day and it's a fine line between enough and too much. Most U.S grown veggies,fruits and grains have enough selenium. Not so in china where their soil is depleted. If you think you have a selenium deficiency you should have your blood tested (same with vitamin K ). Most water soluble vitamins are safe as you will just eliminate them through urination, but fat soluble vitamins can reach toxic levels. Selenium has been used as a poison for as long as people have known it's effects. Now I sound like Dr. I'm not but my son is a biochemist and plant pathologist. I trust him on these issues more than most Dr.s as their knowledge in this area is limited. As far as trusting pharmaceutical company's testing, they have more of a vested interest in an outcome than the government. One is for money and the other politics. A good test is hard to find. You really have to research many tests from many different sources.

• By rmchavin
• Posted June 15, 2009 at 5:47 pm
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Dear debbie59:

Populations that have a high consumption of fish and seafood (such as the Greenland Inuit) have even lower total cancer rates than populations with a high consumption of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables. It appears that the 3 main reasons for this are: (1) seafood contains high levels of the omega-3 fatty acids, DHA and EPA, (2) seafood contains high amounts of vitamin D, and (3) seafood contains high amounts of selenium. The Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University says that "In the U.S., grains are a good source of selenium, but fruits and vegetables tend to be relatively poor sources of selenium." http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/minerals/selenium/ As for having extremely low blood pressure, it is a sign that something is very wrong (usually heart failure) and it should not just be dismissed and ignored. It very frequently means that death is not too far away. As for distrusting the U.S. government, I can't agree with you that either President Bush or President Obama would condone allowing the NIH or CDC or Dept. of Health or the Surgeon General to defraud the American people as to what really causes our diseases. I think the U.S. government wants its citizens to live longer, healthier, more productive lives.

• By debbie59
• Posted June 15, 2009 at 6:33 pm
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NO BLOOD PRESSURE< YES!!!!!! Low blood pressure no. It can be anything from genetic to
drugs or drug interactions. My husband has had low blood pressure all his life and my guess is southernlady has too. She didn't sound like it was anything new. I did do my math though and if her grandparents just passed away and she is 52 they were most likely in or close to their 90's. That's a double dose of good genes. Maybe in Hawaii your soil lacks selenium but here in the bread basket of the world, I assure you it is not. Also too much fish can cause mercury poisoning. I go by the old adage "All things in moderation". Cept eggplant-hate eggplant!!!!