Clearing the way through contradictory diet-&-health claims

Credit: planet-science.com

Looking around the media, you will find lots of apparently contradictory information about what diet is best for your health.

At least part of the problem appears to work this way: a significant number of people have a low salt diet because their health has been adversely impacted by previous excessive salt consumption. These people can show up in health statistics as stroke or heart attack victims with low salt intake.

"Reverse causation", is the name sometimes used for this anomaly. Its effects are also known from obesity, alcohol, & blood pressure studies.

http://theconversation.com/best-to-ignore-salt-claims-from-studies-using-unsavoury-data-30563?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Latest+from+The+Conversation+for+18+August+2014+-+1858&utm_content=Latest+from+The+Conversation+for+18+August+2014+-+1858+CID_aabdaa5afc096b963dea579ebc7e8744&utm_source=campaign_monitor&utm_term=Best%20to%20ignore%20salt%20claims%20from%20studies%20using%20unsavoury%20data / New England Journal of Medicine papers effects of salt consumption on health apparently contradictory findings debate harm excessive dietary salt Gates Foundation funded Global Burden of Disease program programme Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiological PURE study research project large data sets serious adverse consequences salt consumption claimed the opposite research researchers excess salt consumption is causing 1.65 million premature deaths each year non-fatal strokes heart attacks product unwitting consumers food supply industry intent on filling its coffers money dollar profit effects of salt on blood pressure clear adverse effect of high salt intake on health moderate levels current World Health Organisation WHO goals harmful heart disease and stroke conclusions flawed large numbers data collected effects of salt on ill health measure of salt intake design prior studies salt causes disease cohort study low-salt diet high-salt diet health problem reverse causation obesity alcoholblood pressure complex analyses control World Congress of Cardiology salt consumers industry food supply tobacco smoke action potential nerves nerve very high levels of salt consumption observed media debate randomised trials evidence drive health policy NaCl sodium chloride /