Salt is a silent killer – so how much is too much? A researcher explains…

By ELIE CHAMOUN FOR THE CONVERSATION | Source: The DailyMail

Salt is the universal flavour enhancer and we can’t seem to get enough of it.

While preparing food at home, or while buying prepared food from grocery stores and restaurants, salt tends to find its way onto our plates.

Does our love for salt come at a cost? How much salt is too much, and should we be concerned? These are the questions that not enough people are asking.

As a PhD candidate in human health and nutritional sciences at the University of Guelph, I study how the genetics of taste affects taste perception, taste preference, dietary intake and metabolism in the Guelph Family Health Study.

Part of this research examines how genetics can cause some people to be less sensitive to the taste of salt than others, leading them to prefer higher amounts in their food.

Identifying genetic markers can help us understand who may be more at risk of developing the adverse consequences of excessive salt intake, such as high blood pressure, the silent killer.

Full article at The DailyMail