Following a low-salt diet might not be as good for you as it was previously suggested, according to a new study conducted by Canada’s McMaster University.

In fact, they might actually elevate the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and death compared to diets that recommend average salt intake. What’s more, the study suggests that individuals with high blood pressure are the only ones who should worry about reducing the amount of salt they eat.

For the study, the tea, analyzed more than 130,000 people from 49 countries, focusing in particular on the relationship between salt intake and heart disease, stroke, and death in people with either high or low blood pressure.

According to the results from both of the groups, low-salt diets were linked to more strokes, heart attacks, and deaths in comparison to those following a diet with an average salt intake.

“These are extremely important findings for those who are suffering from high blood pressure,” explained lead author Andrew Mente of McMaster University. While the results showed that people with hypertension should not consume salt in high intakes, other people should not reduce their salt intake to low levels.

“Our findings are important because they show that lowering sodium is best targeted at those with hypertension who also consume high sodium diets,” Mente added.

The results are particularly timely since some new guidelines recommend a lowered sodium intake of 2.3 grams per day – a reduction from the current standard intake of 3.5 to 4 grams per day. It means they’re wrong because consuming less than three grams of salt per day could lead to health risks, no matter what the blood pressure is.

“Low sodium intake reduces blood pressure modestly, compared to average intake, but low sodium intake also has other effects, including adverse elevations of certain hormones which may outweigh any benefits,” Mente said.

Interestingly, while the results showed that a low salt intake could be unsafe after a certain point, people with hypertension are not encouraged to consume high levels of salt. In other words, too little and too much salt is equally bad for your health.

The study was featured in May 20 in the journal The Lancet.
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