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Salt has been the focus at some high profile conferences. Available here are abstracts of some of the papers presented by experts.

Nutrition advice – debating the science behind the policies was organised by the Royal Society of Chemistry and The Society for Food Hygiene Technology in March 2005 who felt that "a proper debate about the use of salt, sugar and fat in food is long overdue...[we] are concerned about some of the advice, particularly on the reduction of salt – which can be used as a preservative – that may have an adverse affect on food safety." Speakers included Dick Hanneman, president of the Salt Institute in the US, and nutrition expert, Dr David McCarron, who confirmed that it is mineral deficiency rather than sodium intake that is the main influencer in high blood pressure. Click here to read the synopsis of Dick Hanneman's paper.

The list of academics lining up to defend salt grew at a Brussels salt conference in May 2005, organised by Eu-Salt. Speaking at The Science of Salt were five professors from across Europe who insisted that salt reduction will not lead to health benefits for the general population, and that blanket advice could even be dangerous for some people. They also demonstrated that salt is a vital for us all by each covering a different aspect of its importance. Click on the names below to read the abstracts of the lectures:

• 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 inportance of salt as a carrier for iodine.