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15/03/2007

Salt campaign could do more harm than good warns new analysis

As the Food Standards Agency pours yet more public money into its anti-salt campaign, new analysis insists that the policy could do more harm than good. The FSA will launch the next stage of its public awareness programme on Monday (19 March), taking its total spend to at least £10 million.

Leading epidemiologist, Dr Lee Hooper has highlighted fundamental flaws in the FSA’s approach. She says there is no proof that salt consumption causes any ill effects for the majority of us and that some sectors of the population could actually be at risk from following blanket advice. 

Dr Hooper’s contribution to the controversial debate comes in a chapter titled Salt and dietary changes to control blood pressure, which appears in the new book, Advanced Therapy in Hypertension and Vascular Disease. It represents the latest analysis of some of the most significant research into salt’s effects on health. It concludes that: “…it is not feasible to promote reduction in salt intake in individuals or populations on the basis that if it does not do any good, at least it will not do harm… If a high salt intake is protective, then campaigns to reduce the salt intake… may be misdirected and guidelines to give dietary salt reduction advice to hypertensive patients may be unhelpful.“ The book recommends regular exercise as a far more effective means of reducing blood pressure.

Peter Sherratt, general secretary of the Salt Manufacturers’ Association says: “This analysis makes it clear that there are no significant proven benefits for most people in lowering their salt intake. Not only that, but it can actually lead to higher incidence of heart attack and stroke in some.”

“This really goes against everything the Government is telling the public. The FSA has been pursuing this tack for some time, and is continuing to disregard the advice of some highly respected experts. If you were introducing a new drug you would not be able to do so without the backing of proper research, so how can the Government justify changing the dietary habits of a nation when there is any doubt?”

Last month, the FSA commissioned a report – Consumer Attitudes to Food Standards. Unprompted, over 3,500 respondents were asked "Are there any issues related to food that you have concerns about?" Only 4% identified "salt content" as a concern – fourth among concerns and only 1% higher than in 2005.

Ends

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. Consumer Attitudes to Food Standards can be downloaded from the FSA website: http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/cas07uk.pdf For the unprompted responses about salt in food, see page 52. 
3. A string of experts across the world have questioned the UK government’s blanket advice, including:

• Immediate past president of the European Hypertension Society, Professor Tony Heagerty
• Nutrition expert, Dr David McCarron, whose research suggests that mineral deficiency, rather than salt consumption, is one of the most important influences upon high blood pressure
• Professor Ron Maughan, sports scientist, Loughborough University. Researched sweating tendencies of footballers at premierclubs and found that some could lose upto 20g of sodium in a day's training.
• Leading British physiologist, Professor Bill Keatinge, has found that, in unacclimatized elderly subjects, the risk of heart attack or stroke is increased by salt depletion during a heatwave. He suggests that they should be strongly advised not to reduce their salt intake in summer or when holidaying in warmer climates.
• Professor Ingo Fusgen, University of Witten-Herdecke in Germany. Studies show that up to 10 per cent of older people suffer from sodium deficiency.
• Professor Deiderick Grobbee, cardiovascular specialist from the Netherlands and author of the Rotterdam. Tested 8,000 people in their 50s+ and found that as long as their salt intake wasno more than 16g a day, there was an insignificant effect on blood pressure.

• For further information on the Salt Manufacturers' Association's stance on salt and health, please visit the press office at www.saltsense.co.uk. The media resources available there include downloadable photographs.