Salt intake is not associated with mortality, risk for cardiovascular disease, or heart failure in older adults, a controversial study reports. The researchers analysed the self-reported sodium intake of 2,642 older adults and found that 10-year mortality rates were 33.8% among people consuming less than 1,500 mg a day, 30.7% among people consuming 1,500 to 2,300 mg, and 35.2% among people consuming more than 2,300 but the findings were not statistically significant between the groups.

But the study has been criticised by other experts on salt and health and the authors note that a limitation of the study was that the amount of sodium consumed was self-reported, and people generally tend to underestimate their sodium consumption. The recommended salt intake by Australia’s Heart Foundation is less than 2300mg/ day.