Eating less salt may help people live longer and avoid heart-related deaths, according to studies that combined results from many other studies.

People who eat very little salt—less than 3 grams a day—are more likely to die or have serious heart problems, even when you account for their blood pressure and other health factors.

Eating too little or too much salt might both be bad for your heart — people who eat way less than 3,000 mg or way more than 6,000 mg of salt a day seem to have a higher chance of heart problems or dying from them.

For people with slightly high blood pressure, eating more salt seems to raise the risk of dying earlier—even at very low salt levels below what’s usually considered healthy. There’s no sign that eating very little salt is safe or helpful.

People who eat about 3 to 6 grams of salt per day seem to have fewer heart problems and live longer than those who eat much less or much more salt — it’s like there’s a sweet spot for salt intake.

Too little or too much salt might both be bad for your heart — studies show people who eat way too little or way too much salt may be more likely to die from heart problems.