The salt mines: Just how healthy is salt for us?

While recent trials debunked some established truths about salt, the leader of the research says the findings don’t give us a licence to liberally consume it either, says Peta Bee.     

FOR decades the message has been to cut down on the white stuff, to avoid liberally adding salt to our food for the good of our health.

Salty diets have been shown to raise our blood pressure and our risk of diseases from stomach cancer and osteoporosis to kidney disease and vascular dementia. Too much of the white stuff can also exacerbate symptoms of asthma and diabetes.