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26/05/2005

Academics line up to defend salt

The list of academics lining up to question the benefits of cutting back on salt is growing. At a conference in Brussels, professors from across Europe insisted that salt reduction will not lead to health benefits for the general population, and that it could even be dangerous for some people.

The five respected professors who spoke at The Science of Salt, organised by Eu-Salt, demonstrated that salt is a vital for us all by each covering a different aspect of its importance.

• Professor Dr. Karl-Ludwig Resch (Germany) branded as "obsolete" and "one-sided" the existing salt and hypertension guidelines of Europe and the US. He claimed that recent research from all over the world indicates that the healthy population in general does not benefit from reducing salt.
• Professor Dr. Diederick Grobbee (The Netherlands) underlined that there is no evidence of a causal link between salt intake and mortality and cardio-vascular events.
• Professor Dr. Ingo Füsgen (Germany) discussed his findings that 10 per cent of the older population suffers from sodium deficiency which can result in nervous disposition, hallucinations, muscle cramps and higher incidence of hip fractures.
• Professor Dr. Markus Mohaupt (Switzerland) spoke about another group at risk from a low-salt diet – pregnant women. He confirmed earlier research which suggested a reduced risk of pre-eclampsia in women with a high sodium intake.
• Professor François Delange (Belgium) explained the public health consequences of iodine deficiency – including mental retardation, brain damage and endemic goiter (characterised by enlargement of the thyroid gland), and the importance of salt as a carrier for iodine.

Amongst the UK delegates attending the conference was Peter Sherratt of the Salt Manufacturers’ Association. “One of the major points that stood out at the conference was that the risks of salt reduction have not been properly assessed,” he said. “We have called for such an assessment, and also for proper clinical trials to test health outcomes of low-salt diets.”

ends

Media contacts

Rachel Hedges or Barrie Hedges, Daybreak Communications 0845 644 3845
or mobile 07899 623756 barrie.hedges@daybreakcomm.co.uk

Notes to editors

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.
2. The non-profit organisation EuSalt is the European Salt Producers’ Association and represents the interests of 21 salt producers located all over Europe. It provides information to the public and other interested parties about salt and its uses, promotes the responsible use of salt and represents the industry as a whole at the level of the European and international institutions.
3. The abstracts of some of the lectures made at the European salt conference are available as word documents in the research section of www.saltsense.co.uk or we can email them to you. Other media resources available on the website include downloadable photographs.