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20/09/2004

Low Salt Diet A Danger For Elderly

A low salt diet can be extremely dangerous for elderly people, according to research by Professor Ingo Füsgen from the Department of Geriatrics at the University of Witten-Herdecke in Germany.

His conclusion supports claims made by the Salt Manufacturers' Association, in response to a campaign by the Food Standards Agency.

Professor Füsgen presented his findings at the European Geriatrics Congress in Vienna, which ended yesterday (September 19). They show that the symptoms of hyponatraemia (low sodium level in the blood), which are tiredness, difficulty in concentrating and loss of balance, can develop into confusion and even coma if left untreated.

His studies show that up to 10 per cent of older people suffer from sub-acute sodium deficiency, which can result in problems such as nervous disposition, hallucinations, muscle cramps and incontinence.

Professor Füsgen explained; "Sodium deficiency is common for elderly people but it is often not recognized. Many older people are not aware of the danger of a low salt diet and try to reduce their consumption of salt because they assume it is healthy to do so."

According to a survey conducted by Professor Füsgen, as part of his research, 80 per cent of elderly people try to consume salt sparingly, thinking that too much salt causes high blood pressure. Professor Füsgen maintains that a low salt diet is not appropriate for the majority of elderly people.

"We said earlier this week that In the case of the elderly, cutting salt might be dangerous, especially in the summer months. Because they tend to drink less and are less acclimatised to hot weather, salt lost through sweat is not replaced. Their blood pressure rises, so putting added strain on their hearts," says the SMA's general secretary, Peter Sherratt.

"We remain convinced that the Department of Health and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) are ignoring inconvenient evidence in pursuit of a campaign that unfairly targets one of lifešs essentials.

"They are ignoring the need for more conclusive research and failing to make a proper assessment of the risks it could pose to some population groups."

references

• The Department of Health's own National Diet and Nutrition Survey published earlier this year concluded that there is no significant effect on the blood pressure of healthy people from eating salt.
• The 1988 Intersalt study is one of the prime motivators for the current campaign, yet it failed to prove its own primary hypothesis that systolic blood pressure is associated directly with sodium excretion.
• Several large-scale intervention studies have shown that restriction of sodium in the diet has no effect on diastolic blood pressure and only a minimal effect on systolic blood pressure.
• The National Health Service's own website includes an evaluation of the evidence base for reduction of salt in the diet which concludes that the calculations are "theoretical" and that the authors have "over-emphasised" a key section. The reviewers suggest that further research is needed.
• Since 1995, 10 studies in the United States have reported on whether low sodium diets produce health benefits. All 10 indicate that, among the general population, lower sodium diets don't produce health benefits. In fact, not a single study has ever shown improved health outcomes for broad populations on reduced sodium diets.
• An independent review by the Cochrane Library (2004) of advice to reduce dietary salt for prevention of cardiovascular disease concludes: "Intensive interventions, unsuited to primary care or population prevention programmes, provide only minimal reductions in blood pressure during long-term trials. Further evaluations to assess effects on morbidity and mortality outcomes are needed for populations as a whole and for patients with elevated blood pressure".

notes

1 The Salt Manufacturers' Association is the trade association representing UK manufacturers of salt, including domestic salt, catering salt, water-softening salt, industrial salt and de-icing salt. Its members are: British Salt Ltd, Cleveland Potash Ltd, Irish Salt Mining & Exploration Co Ltd, New Cheshire Salt Works Ltd, RHM plc (embracing Centura Foods Ltd and Supreme Salt Co Ltd) and Salt Union Ltd.

2 The UK salt industry produces some two-and-a-half to three million tonnes of salt in a typical year. The greatest proportion (rock salt) is used for de-icing roads in winter. Smaller percentages are used in the chemicals, food manufacturing and pharmaceutical industries and for the softening of water. It has been estimated that salt is used in manufacturing 14,000 products. SMA members employ a total of some 750 people in the UK, the majority in Cheshire but also in the North East and in Northern Ireland.

3 Further information to support this release is available from www.saltsense.co.uk. The media resources available there also include downloadable photographs.