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| Cutting Salt Could Prevent Almost 500,000 Heart Attacks |
| Amanda Gardner/Health Day |
| 3/4/2010 |
| A combined government-industry initiative to reduce U.S. sodium consumption by as little as 10% would save thousands of lives and billions of dollars, according to new research. Cutting salt reduces blood pressure, a key factor contributing to heart attacks and stroke. "Per person on average it is a very small decrease in blood pressure, but over large populations, we saw a significant reduction in cardiovascular disease and in cost savings," said Dr. Crystal Smith-Spangler, lead author of a study in the March 2 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. "This new report strongly supports the conclusion that a concerted national effort to reduce sodium in processed foods would save hundreds of thousands of lives at minimal cost," added Dr. Walter Willett, chairman of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. "We should not delay taking on this challenge." ... Click here for full article |
| Additional Information: http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=113889 |