Research
Macro partitioning
Sodium restriction should be moderate (around 2.3g sodium/day or 6g salt/day) rather than very low, as very low intake may not provide additional benefit and could be associated with higher risk in some populations.
Aim for about 6 grams of salt per day (2.3g sodium). You don't need to restrict salt to extremely low levels, as this may not provide additional benefit and could potentially increase risk. Focus on balancing sodium with potassium-rich foods.
ModerateQualifiesMEDIUM confidence
the correlation between sodium and cardiovascular risk follows a 'J' or 'U' curve: low or very low consumption levels are also associated with risk... the Institute of Medicine suggests 2.3 grams/day (corresponding to about 6 grams/day of salt) as a desirable intake level. Conversely, a Cochrane Review stresses that even lower levels of intake are unlikely to provide any benefit.
Why this rating
Based on observational studies and meta-analyses, with the debate still open.
Source
Dietary advice to cardiovascular patients. A brief update for physicians
Francesco Visioli et al. · Monaldi Archives for Chest Disease · 2019
DOI 10.4081/monaldi.2019.1071
narrative_reviewCited 4×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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