Animal studies have shown that increasing salt intake increases the amount of protein excreted in the urine and markedly increases the rate of deterioration of renal function in experimental forms of renal disease. Studies, where salt intake has been reduced in animals with experimental renal disease show a slowing of the rate of progression of the disease. Studies in humans have now shown that salt intake increases the amount of urinary protein (4, 5) which is a chief risk factor for developing kidney disease and cardiovascular disease. Reducing salt intake from 10 to 5g/day in a double-blind study was shown to reduce urine protein excretion by 19.4% A further double blinded study in a larger number of individuals showed that even a more modest reduction in salt intake (i.e. from 9.7g to 6.5g/day) reduced 24hr urinary albumin excretion in all three ethnic groups with mildly raised blood pressure. (7) Therefore, individuals with kidney disease should restrict their salt intake because in nearly all forms of kidney disease the kidney retains sodium and water in the body, causing further deterioration of renal function. Reducing sodium intake may provide benefits to health of kidney and heart among the patients with chronic kidney disease, a new study has claimed. Urinary excretion of proteins, including albumin, is a hallmark of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Therapies that reduce such albuminuria can slow kidney function decline and also have beneficial effects on the heart and blood vessels. Currently available therapies do not eliminate albuminuria in many patients, leaving these individuals with what is known as residual albuminuria. Researchers led by Martin de Borst from University Medical Centre Groningen in the Netherlands, studied two interventions that have demonstrated potential for reducing residual albuminuria: dietary sodium restriction and a drug (paricalcitol) that activates the vitamin D receptor. In a randomised trial that included 45 patients with CKD, each intervention was added to an optimised conventional treatment regimen during four 8-week periods. The researchers found that dietary sodium restriction led to a significant reduction of residual albuminuria and blood pressure, whereas paricalcitol had no significant effect on these measures. The combination of paricalcitol and a low sodium diet, however, resulted in the lowest albuminuria levels. “What we found was that sodium restriction provided a relatively large beneficial effect, whereas the effect of paricalcitol was small,” said de Borst. “Thus, the impact of the combined intervention was largely due to the protective effect of sodium restriction,” he said. Most people consume twice as much sodium as the two grammes per day recommended by the World Health Organisation. “In our study, patients consumed on average four grammes of sodium per day, which is well in line with global trends in sodium consumption among CKD patients,” said de Borst. “Interestingly, following our intervention aimed at reduced sodium intake, patients consumed 2.5 grammes per day, which is still above the recommended level,” he said. “This moderate restriction resulted in a strong reduction in albuminuria and blood pressure, indicating that even a moderate reduction in sodium intake may provide serious health benefits,” he added. The study appears in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN). High sodium consumption (>2 grammes/day, equivalent to 5 g salt/day) and insufficient potassium intake (less than 3.5 grammes/day) contribute to high blood pressure and increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. The main source of sodium in our diet is salt, although it can come from sodium glutamate, used as a condiment in many parts of the world. Most people consume too much salt—on average 9–12 grammes per day, or around twice the recommended maximum level of intake. Salt intake of less than 5 grammes per day for adults helps to reduce blood pressure and risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke and coronary heart attack. The principal benefit of lowering salt intake is a corresponding reduction in high blood pressure. WHO Member States have agreed to reduce the global population’s intake of salt by a relative 30% by 2025. Reducing salt intake has been identified as one of the most cost-effective measures countries can take to improve population health outcomes. Key salt reduction measures will generate an extra year of healthy life for a cost that falls below the average annual income or gross domestic product per person. An estimated 2.5 million deaths could be prevented each year if global salt consumption were reduced to the recommended level.