For the past century people with weak hearts have been told to lower their salt intake, but until now there has been little scientific evidence behind the recommendation.
Scientists from the University of Alberta found an improvement in symptoms such as swelling, fatigue, and coughing, as well as a better overall quality of life.
The research is published in The Lancet and was conducted by Justin Ezekowitz et al.
In the study, the team followed 806 patients at 26 medical centers in Canada, the United States, Columbia, Chile, Mexico, and New Zealand.
All were suffering from heart failure, a condition in which the heart becomes too weak to pump blood effectively.
Half of the participants were randomly assigned to receive usual care, while the rest received nutritional counseling on how to reduce their dietary salt intake.
Patients in the nutritional counseling arm of the trial were given dietitian-designed menu suggestions using foods from their own region and were encouraged to cook at home without adding salt and to avoid high-salt ingredients.
Most dietary sodium is hidden in processed foods or restaurant meals rather than being shaken at the table.
The target sodium intake was 1,500 milligrams per day—or the equivalent of about two-thirds of a teaspoon of salt—which is the Health Canada recommended limit for most Canadians whether they have heart failure or not.
Before the study, patients consumed an average of 2,217 mg per day or just under one teaspoon.
After one year of study, the usual care group consumed an average of 2,072 mg of sodium daily, while those who received nutritional guidance consumed 1,658 mg per day, a reduction of a bit less than a quarter teaspoon equivalent.
The researchers found consistent improvements for the low-sodium group using three different quality of life assessment tools.
The team urges clinicians to recognize that dietary changes can be a useful intervention for some of their patients.
The researchers will also follow up on the trial patients at 24 months and five years to determine whether further benefits are achieved over the long term.
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If you care about heart health, please read studies about a new early warning sign for heart disease, and this nutrient can protect your heart rate.
For more information about heart health, please see recent studies that women have a higher risk of this deadly heart disease at night , and results showing scientists find a big cause of heart failure.
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