The link between salt and blood pressure

In early June, I wrote a post about a study that stated a low-sodium diet didn't have as great of an impact on heart health as previously thought. Now a new study confirms the traditional thought that salt intake effects blood pressure. Color this writer confused.

The more recent study aimed to find a genetic component that made people more susceptible to the effects of salt on blood pressure. Ultimately, the study found no genetic link. The study subjects who took in more salt had higher blood pressure regardless of genetics.

While the previous study doesn't necessarily dispute the link between blood pressure and salt intake, it does state that 80% of people who were on a low-sodium diet (in their study) were at a greater risk for developing heart disease. While they don't believe low-sodium diets are a causative factor for heart disease, they're questioning whether or not a low-sodium diet is effective for heart health management.

So what's a person to do? Personally, I'm going to continue avoiding high-sodium packaged foods, minimizing the salt I use in cooking, and not worrying about it. How about you?