The amount of salt in your diet, within a moderate range, doesn't seem to have any effect on cholesterol levels.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland gave patients with elevated blood pressure six different diets for 30 days: a typical American diet with three levels of salt (low, average, and moderately high), and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, which is designed to lower high blood pressure, with the same three levels of salt.
None of the diets had any negative effects on cholesterol levels or levels of fats in the blood. The diets with the lowest levels of salt did not have any positive or negative effect.
However, the researchers note that eating less salt can lower blood pressure in those with high blood pressure, and that eating excessive amounts of salt may increase the risk of heart attacks. The study suggests that lowering salt could decrease that risk.
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