Category Archive: Salt

Daytime Emmys Have a Low Bar for “Informative Talk Shows”

Perhaps the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences should drop the final word from its title, after awarding “The Dr. Oz Show” a Daytime Emmy for its role as an “outstanding informative talk show.” Clearly, it doesn’t matter to the Academy that the information Dr. Mehmet Oz so “outstandingly” peddles is pure fiction. A 2014 study in the journal BMJ found that two thirds of Dr. Oz’s recommendations – including cutting salt to avoid cancer, and cutting GMOs to cure autism – were either baseless or completely contradicted by available scientific evidence. In that same year, “America’s Doctor” came under...

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Is Salt the Enemy?

For years, we’ve been told that salt can cause hypertension and other cardiovascular problems. It’s why doctors and health officials routinely advise us that we’re eating too much salt. But nutrition science is imperfect and always evolving—just look at the latest advice on fat and cholesterol! Recent research casts doubt on the influence of sodium levels on the blood pressure of healthy adults and has even pointed to health problems caused by too little sodium. Just like taking a daily aspirin doesn’t make sense for adults who have never had a heart attack or stroke, drastic cuts in sodium intake may not...

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Are Our Kids in Danger from Too Much Salt?

Headlines this week are pouncing on a new announcement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that finds over 90% of American kids are eating too much salt, which the CDC says raises their risk of heart disease and high blood pressure. Sounds really scary, right? But before you throw away all the salt shakers, bread, and pasta in your house consider a few things: The jury is still out on whether salt actually causes higher blood pressure or heart problems. Every few months there are new studies that come out either blaming salt for causing heart problems or...

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