I've always consumed a lowish salt diet, just because I don't like overly salty foods, but it turns out that is not the healthiest thing to do. I also have low blood pressure (but normal) which is actually hereditary. My husband has always loved salty foods and eats way more salt than I do. He also has to take blood pressure medication and has for a decade or more. Once again that is hereditary.
Most doctors have advised people to lower salt intake especially if their blood pressure is creeping up. I guess a lot of salt causes water retention and pushes blood pressure up. I know that when my DH consumes gluten, he retains a lot of water and his blood pressure goes up.
The amount of sodium intake is being questioned and the American Heart Association is furious.
Here is another article saying the same thing pretty much. This is a scary excerpt:
“As you go below the 2,300 mark, there is an absence of data in terms of benefit and there begin to be suggestions in subgroup populations about potential harms,” said Dr. Brian L. Strom, chairman of the committee and a professor of public health at the University of Pennsylvania. He explained that the possible harms included increased rates of heart attacks and an increased risk of death."
A new study suggests that consuming twice as much potassium as sodium can halve your risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. The study is the first to show that the ratio of these nutrients in your diet matters more than exactly how much you get of either one. Here is more on that in this article.