Introduction
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death globally.1 In Australia, CVD accounts for about 30% of all deaths, killing 43,603 people in 2013.2 Being the national leading cause of death, CVD kills one Australian every 12 minutes.2 The main types of CVD are coronary heart disease, stroke, and heart failure.3 It is estimated that 4.6 million Australian adults have high blood pressure which is a major risk factor for CVD, accounting for 32% of the population.2
Salt is a chemical compound made up of sodium and chloride. It is commonly used to season and preserve foods in both the food industry and private homes. People are often unaware of the amount of salt they consume from processed food.4 It has been generally believed …show more content…
An earlier Cochrane review published in 2011 could not find enough evidence to confirm the effects of reducing salt intake on mortality and CVD. “We believe that we didn’t see big benefits in this study because the people in the trials we analyzed only reduced their salt intake by a moderate amount, so the effect on blood pressure and heart disease was not large,” says Taylor.6 In Taylor’s latest systematic review “Reduced dietary salt for the prevention of cardiovascular disease”, published in 2014, he and his research team evaluated 8 studies with a total of 7,284 participants.7 This essay will interpret the findings of the review, and discuss the implications of these findings for clinical practice and …show more content…
In the practice of evidence-based medicine, how do the physicians convey these findings and use the knowledge to help their patients? How much dietary salt intake people should have? Prevention is better than cure, especially when the medical community is becoming more conscious of limited resources and growing healthcare expenditures. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends a reduction to less than 5 gram of salt per day for adults and a lower intake level for children.1 However, a low-salt diet may prove beneficial for some people, but harmful for others. Physicians should apply the WHO guideline to the patient’s individual circumstances. Patients with hyponatremia illnesses or taking drug therapy should follow physician-supervised
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death globally.1 In Australia, CVD accounts for about 30% of all deaths, killing 43,603 people in 2013.2 Being the national leading cause of death, CVD kills one Australian every 12 minutes.2 The main types of CVD are coronary heart disease, stroke, and heart failure.3 It is estimated that 4.6 million Australian adults have high blood pressure which is a major risk factor for CVD, accounting for 32% of the population.2
Salt is a chemical compound made up of sodium and chloride. It is commonly used to season and preserve foods in both the food industry and private homes. People are often unaware of the amount of salt they consume from processed food.4 It has been generally believed …show more content…
An earlier Cochrane review published in 2011 could not find enough evidence to confirm the effects of reducing salt intake on mortality and CVD. “We believe that we didn’t see big benefits in this study because the people in the trials we analyzed only reduced their salt intake by a moderate amount, so the effect on blood pressure and heart disease was not large,” says Taylor.6 In Taylor’s latest systematic review “Reduced dietary salt for the prevention of cardiovascular disease”, published in 2014, he and his research team evaluated 8 studies with a total of 7,284 participants.7 This essay will interpret the findings of the review, and discuss the implications of these findings for clinical practice and …show more content…
In the practice of evidence-based medicine, how do the physicians convey these findings and use the knowledge to help their patients? How much dietary salt intake people should have? Prevention is better than cure, especially when the medical community is becoming more conscious of limited resources and growing healthcare expenditures. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends a reduction to less than 5 gram of salt per day for adults and a lower intake level for children.1 However, a low-salt diet may prove beneficial for some people, but harmful for others. Physicians should apply the WHO guideline to the patient’s individual circumstances. Patients with hyponatremia illnesses or taking drug therapy should follow physician-supervised