Salt myths dissolved

Finally, some concrete information on Salt in the Diet.  a massive federal study was published a month ago.  The conclusions?

"Observed associations of lower sodium with higher mortality were modest and mostly not statistically significant. However, these findings also suggest that for the general US adult population, higher sodium is unlikely to be independently associated with higher CVD or all-cause mortality."

So it turns out that a low-sodium diet is not effective in reducing blood pressure, or preventing death from cardiovascular disease.  The study actually found that the groups that consumed the least amount of sodium (the lowest quartile) were at greater risk of death from heart related causes.  

Sandy at Junkfoodscience has a lengthy write-up on the study, if you want to learn more.  Looks like this guy is out of work! 

So what salt should we use?  I apply the same standards to salt as I do to food.  This generally leaves me with 2 options for salt consumption:

Kosher Salt

Sea Salt

Personally, I like sea salt the best.  I cannot stand the iodized stuff, Morton, et al.  I like the greek stuff, the french stuff, and I have heard that Salt Lake salt is just incredible.  But I have never tried it.

Enjoy your salt people!