Sodium intake and acid reflux both tamed with veggies

While the American Heart Association recommends a limit of 2,300 mg of sodium per day, a contentious new study published in the Lancet with over 90,000 people in more than 300 towns around the world found that heart disease and stroke only went up in areas where people took in more than twice that amount. “Sodium is so controversial, and this study makes it even more so,” says Mary Ann McLaughlin, M.D., director of cardiovascular health and wellness at Mount Sinai Heart in New York City. To answer the question of how much salt is safe, further research is needed. What we do know for sure, she says, is that sodium raises blood pressure in salt-sensitive people, and high blood pressure raises the risk of heart disease. For now, consider that most of the salt in the American diet, the average American gets more than 3,400 mg daily, comes from processed, packaged foods: “If you eat a heart-healthy plant-based diet high in fruit and vegetables, you’re generally not going to have to worry about sodium,” says Dr. McLaughlin. (Health)

You may want to adjust your menu to stop acid reflux. Eating a plant-based Mediterranean diet was just as effective as taking certain medications (PPIs) to treat symptoms, a study published in JAMA Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery found. And the diet especially helps those with acid reflux that ends up in the throat. (Woman’s Day)