Health verdict on salt changes — yet again

Medical research is riddled with opposing claims and the burden is on consumers to make wise choices

New research by Canadian academicians says that salt, the muchreviled taste enhancer, is not all that bad for health. Should we take this with a pinch of salt? Of course, the study, published in the Lancet, is impressive in its breadth — it involved more than 90,000 people from across 300 communities in 18 countries and was led by the Population Health Research Institute of Hamilton Health Sciences and McMaster University in Canada. Which is all very well, but for the average consumer, it probably will not offer much consolation — thanks to the onslaught of the never-ending health studies whose findings often contradict each other. Take the journey of butter through the endless halls of research, for instance. Vilified, redeemed, vilified again and now regaining some form of respectability, butter confounds with its seemingly mercurial health properties.

It cannot be denied that research in the field of health and medicine has contributed immeasurably to mankind’s pursuit of a better standard of living for the human race. But when the deluge of information leads to divergent, even opposing, pointers, the burden of sorting through the data descends on hapless consumers. Should they reach for the salt shaker again? Can the butter make a reappearance at the breakfast table? Is their personal physician in agreement with the newest finding on salt?

If the purpose of research is to shrink the scope of probabilities and expand the circle of certainties, the innumerable findings on health down the decades have left much to be desired on this score. Perhaps academicians and researchers around the world can find a way to address this concern and provide solace to our befuddled minds.