National News

ISLAMABAD,(APP): Maintaining a moderate intake of sodium each
day is the healthiest choice for everyone, finds a new study on Tuesday.
According to researchers cutting down one’s daily salt intake could
actually be harmful to its body , Radio Pakistan reported.
A recent global study conducted by researchers of the Population
Health Research Institute of McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences found low-sodium diets actually increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and death compared to diets with average sodium consumption.
If the body doesn’t get enough of it, a variety of health problems
could result, including an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
According to the study, a high-sodium diet is only linked to an
increased risk of cardiovascular disease in populations of people with high blood pressure.
For people with a normal blood pressure, the study found a high-sodium
diet was not associated with cardiovascular disease.
The study involved more than 130,000 people from 49 countries.
It looked specifically at how the relationship between sodium intake
and heart disease, stroke and death differed in people with high blood pressure as compared to those with normal blood pressure.
It said previous research that favoured low-sodium diets were based on
assumptions about the relationship between blood pressure and sodium levels.
“It appears that low sodium truly is harmful and we need to be
cautious before recommending low levels for the entire population,” the study concluded.