“Dietary Sodium Content, Mortality, and Risk for Cardiovascular Events in Older Adults“:
Importance Additional information is needed about the role of dietary sodium on health outcomes in older adults.
Objective To examine the association between dietary sodium intake and mortality, incident cardiovascular disease (CVD), and incident heart failure (HF) in older adults.
Design, Setting, and Participants We analyzed 10-year follow-up data from 2642 older adults (age range, 71-80 years) participating in a community-based, prospective cohort study (inception between April 1, 1997, and July 31, 1998).
Exposures Dietary sodium intake at baseline was assessed by a food frequency questionnaire. We examined sodium intake as a continuous variable and as a categorical variable at the following levels: less than 1500 mg/d (291 participants [11.0%]), 1500 to 2300 mg/d (779 participants [29.5%]), and greater than 2300 mg/d (1572 participants [59.5%]).
Main Outcomes and Measures Adjudicated death, incident CVD, and incident HF during 10 follow-up years. Analysis of incident CVD was restricted to 1981 participants without prevalent CVD at baseline.
This was a study of elderly people, as the average age of participants was more than 73 years old. But they watched them for 10 years. There was no significant difference in mortality between those consuming less than 1.5 g, 1.5-2.5 g, and more than 2.5 g of sodium a day.
This should come as no surprise to people who read the NYT or watch Healthcare Triage, of course.
But, you know, let’s keep recommending that everyone consume next to no salt a day…
