SALT STRIKES AGAIN.

In a study of nearly 600 people, those who were salt-sensitive had a higher risk of dying over the next 30 years, even if their blood pressure was normal at the beginning of the study. (High blood pressure also raised the risk of dying in both people with and without salt sensitivity.)

The researchers estimate that a quarter of people with normal blood pressure may be salt-sensitive. It's possible that the salt-sensitive people were more likely to die prematurely because they went on to develop high blood pressure.

What to do: There is no practical way to tell if you are salt-sensitive, so follow the advice of most health authorities. Cut back to no more than 2,400 mg of sodium a day; the less, the better.

Hypertension 37: 429, 2001.