Is a low-salt diet good for our health?
Neil Goffart
Neil Goffart
Do you really know the effects of salt on our health? A genuine public health issue, this seasoning is now at the heart of a heated debate. Table salt, sea salt, salt substitutes… Salt consumption in our diet is becoming a real everyday challenge. Is the low-salt diet dangerous or necessary? Discover the facts and the myths about the low-sodium diet today.
For several years now, the health authorities have been waging war on this seasoning that enhances the flavour of our dishes and preserves our food. Why is salt so controversial?
There is a good reason why the amounts of salt in industrial ingredients have been reduced. The dangers of salt are real and can prove serious for our wellbeing. An excess of table salt, that is to say mainly sodium chloride, has an acidifying effect on our organs. This is why it is an aggravating risk factor for arterial hypertension [1]. That last condition affects almost one French person in three, according to INSERM. The blood circulating in our blood vessels is then subjected to abnormally high pressure, which leads to cardiovascular diseases and cerebral disorders.
What is more, excessive salt consumption causes a considerable loss of calcium [2], which is eliminated in the urine. Yet it is precisely this mineral that strengthens our bones. Consumed in excessive amounts, salt increases the risk of osteoporosis [3], in other words the loss of bone mass and the weakening of our skeleton. As for the calcium left standing in our urine, the high sodium concentration causes it to crystallise, forming kidney stones.
Ever since the salt war began, we have regularly heard advertising messages urging us to keep an eye on our salt consumption. « For your health, avoid eating too much fat, sugar or salt ». True enough, but be careful not to fall into the opposite trap and end up with a mineral salt deficiency. Despite the rumours, salt also has its virtues for our body.
A perfect traditional home remedy for whitening teeth and getting rid of bad breath, it is both antiseptic and antifungal. Not only does it remove impurities, dead skin cells and scalp dandruff, it also hydrates the skin naturally, thereby slowing down skin ageing.
The benefits of salt are not limited to cosmetics. It is certainly a considerable asset for skin exfoliation, but it is also essential to the proper functioning of our brain and our muscles. Rich in minerals such as magnesium, potassium and calcium, etc., it plays a part in cell renewal. In particular, the sodium chloride it contains facilitates intracellular exchanges and the transmission of nerve impulses. By acting as an electrical conductor, it manages the entry of nutrients into the cells. It is in fact an electrolyte that contributes to the water balance in our body: it retains water when we take some in and releases it when we do not have enough. Our health therefore depends on a balanced salt intake.
Iodised salt, in other words salt enriched with iodine, also helps to ease the symptoms of thyroid disorders. The thyroid does indeed need this trace element to produce hormones our body requires. An iodine deficiency could slow down the functioning of the thyroid.
Be careful not to confuse « bad salt » with « good salt ». Industrial salt has to be distinguished from natural salt. There is also a big difference between salt and sodium. Salt in itself is not dangerous to health; it is rather some of its components that are, in particular sodium. But salt also contains potassium. Now, it has been shown that a sufficient intake of potassium reduces cardiovascular morbidity and mortality by lowering blood pressure. At Lepivits, we developed our product Magnésium + Potassium, a combination that contributes to the normal function of the nervous system and to normal muscle function. Potassium offsets the negative effects of excess sodium. It is sodium that largely makes up industrial salt, known as table salt, which is moreover supplemented with iodine, because our body tends to lack it. Yet iodine is essential to our health. This creates a major dilemma: how do we reduce our sodium intake while increasing our iodine intake?
Natural salt is the product of sustainable farming, like magnesium salt or sea salt. It has therefore retained its nutritional qualities, thanks to its natural wealth of mineral salts. Whereas what we call table salt is in fact an industrial, processed refined salt. Made up of more than 95% sodium chloride, it also contains iodine, fluoride and additives such as sodium aluminosilicate (anti-caking agent E544, which contains aluminium).
The problem with industrial salt is the poor balance in the amounts of mineral salts. Through salt we ought to consume three doses of potassium for just one dose of sodium [4]. In table salt, however, that ratio tends to be reversed.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a daily salt intake of between 2g and 5g. In France, however, we consume an average of between 7g and 10g a day. This excessive sodium consumption is thought to affect nearly 90% of the population, while 77% do not consume enough potassium, according to a 2014 study [5]. This is why the French National Nutrition and Health Programmes have placed reducing salt intake at the heart of their work.
It has been shown that a low-sodium diet, when followed under a doctor's supervision, allowed weight loss, improved heart health and a reduction in blood pressure [6].
Eating is a pleasure, so how do you say goodbye to bread, cold cuts or cheese? Going without may feel painful, but you will see that you can still enjoy your food without overdoing these products. The point is not to stop eating these dishes altogether, but to limit them.
As for ready meals, so convenient when you have no time to cook, they are the worst option when you want to start a low-salt diet. You will see, however, that home-cooked dishes, lovingly prepared, are not necessarily ideal solutions either.
One last tip for the road: buy the most natural ingredients possible; the more processed they are, the worse they are. Check the labels on your shopping to find out the sodium content.
For an effective low-salt diet, the best approach is still to rely on fruit and vegetables that are rich in potassium, such as bananas, avocados, spinach, broccoli, haricot beans and sweet potatoes. You are allowed, and even advised, to eat yoghurt, ideally lacto-fermented.
To lift the flavour of your dishes a little, there is no need to reach for the table salt. Try spices and herbs instead, such as turmeric, basil or garlic. There are also good salts, such as pink Himalayan salt, the best known of the natural salts, recommended for low-salt diets. « Salt substitutes », or low-sodium salts, may possibly replace sodium on your plate. They are in fact potassium chloride, enhanced with additives, so they are not natural. Do you know gomasio? This Japanese seasoning blends a small amount of salt with toasted, then ground sesame seeds and gives your dishes a lightly roasted, nutty flavour. It is rich in protein, B vitamins and minerals.
Sodium retains water in our cells. Corticosteroidspromote the absorption of sodium. To avoid water retention, it is better to follow a fairly strict low-salt diet if you are taking a treatment based oncortisone.
Let us now check that you have followed our lesson on salt properly. Everyone to the board, please.
MYTH. Salt, whether sodium or potassium, contributes to the body's fluid balance. It facilitates the transmission of nerve impulses and intracellular exchanges. It is above all necessary to maintain the thyroid. Depriving yourself of salt would cause serious deficiencies.
MYTH. We consume between 3 and 5 times too much salt a day, but this excess salt does not come solely from our table salt. Industrial and supermarket foods in particular are packed with added salt, additives and flavour enhancers such as glutamates. Even sweet pastries and certain medicines contain them. To lower your sodium level, you have to relearn how to shop, how to cook and how to eat. Above all, give preference to natural foods.
MYTH. The salt substitute, or low-sodium salt, contains potassium chloride, another electrolyte that could cause heart problems at too high a dose. What is more, it is packed with additives, to ensure preservation and flavour. Hardly a great alternative.
MYTH. The regulating role of our kidneys makes us want to go to the toilet when we consume too much salt. However, certain situations or conditions disrupt this natural alarm. People with obesity [7] in particular are more exposed to high blood pressure problems, as are pregnant women. In people over 65, the fluid and sodium balance also becomes far more fragile, and these individuals no longer eliminate enough sodium through their urine.
MYTH. Even foods that look healthy to us can have a high salt content: bran cereals, smoked salmon, tinned tomatoes, and so on. It is not enough for ingredients to be labelled healthy; you also have to choose them as fresh as possible. What is more, dishes cooked at home or in a restaurant often come with sauces or creams that are high in salt, not to mention that pasta, seafood and even meat contain a lot of salt.
A low-salt diet is beneficial for your cardiovascular and cerebral health. In France, we consume too much sodium compared with the recommendations and, while a little salt is necessary, too much salt is dangerous for the body.
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
No, a diet completely free of sodium is not recommended for the general population. Sodium is an essential mineral, in particular for fluid balance, nerve transmission and muscle function. The challenge today is above all to avoid excessive intakes. In Belgium, the Superior Health Council advises adults to limit their total consumption to less than 5 g of salt per day. A stricter low-sodium diet may be necessary in certain medical situations, but must then be individualised.
For an adult, the WHO recommends less than 5 g of salt per day, which corresponds to less than 2 g of sodium. This figure is also used in the 2025 Belgian dietary recommendations. The EFSA further considers that an intake of 2 g of sodium per day is a safe and adequate level for the European adult population. You have to count the salt from the whole diet, and not just what you add with the salt cellar.
Table salt is mainly made up of sodium chloride. Roughly 1 g of salt corresponds to 0.4 g of sodium; conversely, 1 g of sodium is equivalent to about 2.5 g of salt. Sodium occurs naturally in certain foods but also comes from the salt added during their manufacture or preparation. In the European Union, the nutrition declaration on prepacked foods states the amount of salt directly, expressed in grams per 100 g or 100 ml.
They are not a way of escaping the recommendations on salt. Unrefined salts may contain more of certain minerals in trace amounts, but the quantities normally consumed are too small to represent a nutritionally significant source. An analysis of 31 pink salts thus concluded that excessive amounts would have to be consumed to obtain a meaningful intake of those minerals. The main criterion therefore remains the total amount of sodium consumed, whatever the origin of the salt.
They can be an interesting option for some adults, but they are not suitable for everyone. Since 2025, the WHO has suggested replacing part of ordinary salt with low-sodium substitutes containing potassium. This recommendation notably excludes people with kidney failure or other conditions that reduce the elimination of potassium, because of the risk of hyperkalaemia. These products should therefore not be presented as a universal alternative or used without precaution.
[1] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30804523/
[2] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2222961/
[3] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19724161/
[4] https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmoa1311889
[5] https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/5/3/e006625.full
[6] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32057379/
[7] https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.115.05948
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