Low Sodium Diet Increases Death Risk, Chances of Heart Failure Hospitalization

In a recent study involving 833 heart failure patients who participated in the HF Adherence and Retention Trial (HART), researchers found out that there could be no basis to support the claim that salt restriction could deliver positive results when it comes to heart failure management.

In contrary, a low-sodium diet could have a "detrimental impact" among patients with chronic heart failure, the researchers went on to conclude.

"The conventional wisdom has been that salt is bad for you," said lead researcher Dr. Rami Doukky, a cardiologist and associate professor at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. "This study says, not so fast. Maybe we should take that, no pun intended, with a grain of salt."

The study was carried out in order to evaluate the impact of sodium restriction on heart failure outcomes. The team from Rush University Medical Center serially assessed the sodium intake using a food frequency questionnaire, MedPageToday reported. The findings of the study were then published in the January 2016 issue of JACC: Heart Failure.

The researchers also categorized the participants of the study based on the mean daily sodium intake prior to the first event of death or heart failure hospitalization. The patients were divided into two groups: (1) the sodium restricted group with salt intake of less than 2,500 mg/d and the unrestricted group with salt consumption of more than 2,500 mg/d.

Although, the findings of the study cast some doubt in the significance of sodium restriction in the management of patients with chronic symptomatic heart failure, the researchers also see the need for further studies that involves multicenter randomized trials in order to come up with a more definitive conclusion about the matter.

Doukky and other cardiologists cautioned that the findings are very preliminary and should not be interpreted as an excuse to increase one's salt intake, especially the heart failure patients, wrote NWITimes.

Meanwhile, Milton Packer, MD, of Baylor University in Dallas, told MedPageToday in a statement that he is "not certain what we are supposed to do with these data. A retrospective analysis of the association of reported (not confirmed) sodium intake and various outcomes is not a particularly useful piece of evidence."

"Should we dismiss the findings entirely? Should the findings lead us to question our core recommendations regarding sodium restriction? How is one supposed to know? These data do not help clarify the situation at all," he added.