The Study
Urinary sodium and potassium excretion, mortality, and cardiovascular events.
This study found that people who ate a lot of salt or very little salt were more likely to have heart problems or die, but it didn’t prove that salt caused those problems — it just saw a pattern. It’s like noticing that people who wear red shoes often trip — maybe red shoes are risky, or maybe they just walk on slippery floors.
Analysis score
Maximum 72 for a cohort study.
Where the score came from
Your body needs just the right amount of salt—not too much, not too little—to stay healthy. Eating too little salt can be as risky as eating too much.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 559 / 100
Quality score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes—this means most people eating normal diets (3–6g salt) are likely at lowest risk; extreme low-salt diets may be harmful.
- 2Best salt intake: 3–6 grams/day.
- 3Less than 3g: 27% higher risk of heart problems or death.
- 4More than 7g: 15% higher risk.
- 5More potassium (over 1.5g/day) lowers risk.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
The New England journal of medicine
Year
2014
Authors
M. O’Donnell, A. Mente, S. Rangarajan, M. McQueen, Xingyu Wang, Li-sheng Liu, Hou Yan, S. Lee, P. Mony, A. Devanath, A. Rosengren, P. López-Jaramillo, R. Diaz, Á. Avezum, F. Lanas, K. Yusoff, R. Iqbal, R. Ilow, N. Mohammadifard, S. Gulec, A. Yusufali, Lanthé Kruger, R. Yusuf, J. Chifamba, C. Kabali, G. Dagenais, S. Lear, K. Teo, S. Yusuf
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.