A recent study from Science (a journal) suggests that we may have the “internal mechanism” to avoid too much salt, so we may not need to avoid it ourselves.

Um, WHAT?

I saw the article talking about the study from Medical Daily, and it was even considered a suggested read from Johns Hopkins University. Sounds legit, right? The article from Medical Daily can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/lylgxyk

The article claims that there is “likely” a similar mechanism that was found in drosophila (fruit flies) that deters the body from consuming too much sodium based on taste signaling to the brain. The article continues, “At low levels, the fly was pleased, and attracted to the substance. At increasing levels, the fly became averted to the substance. The relation between salt concentration and repellent reactions is an important one.” I had to laugh.

“If there is a regulatory system already in place for salt, should we follow our instincts? This finding indicates that without subscribing to diets that restrict sodium, we are still able to monitor our salt intake, simply be being attracted to proper amounts and averted from excess, thanks to our bodily reactions.”

Without knowing anything about nutrition, it is easy to not even consider this study or this article. Simply being averted from Excess would indicate that we aren't already attracted to heavily salted foods, have a slew of detrimental health conditions related to overconsumption of salt, and big food manufacturers aren't spending every waking moments devising new plans to sell their products by adding more sugar and salt. None of this is true, obviously… we are, we do, and they are.

I honestly don't know how this article even makes sense to anyone. Though people don't generally like the taste of heavily salted food via the salt shaker, people consume heavy amounts of processed and fast foods daily, which is laden with sodium. The evidence from this is the obvious rise in kidney and cardiovascular disease related conditions.

The current Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggests to “reduce daily sodium intake to less than 2,300 milligrams (mg) and further reduce intake to 1,500 mg among persons who are 51 and older and those of any age who are African American or have hypertension, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease. The 1,500 mg recommendation applies to about half of the U.S. population, including children, and the majority of adults.” Sounds like we have a salt problem on our hands, folks.

For those who don't know what 2,300mg and 1,500mg looks like, here are some suggestions:

- 1,500 mg is about 1/3 of a teaspoon

- 2,300 mg is about ½ of a teaspoon

- Read the Nutrition Facts Label: it will give you sodium (salt) in mg

So, the moral of the story. Keep watching your sodium and drink plenty of fluids to offset the likelihood of consuming too much. Read the Nutrition Facts Label, avoid the shaker, and especially avoid articles like this. And Happy Eating!