Low-salt diet could help diabetics to prevent cardiovascular disease

A new study from Japan suggests that people with type 2 diabetes who eat a diet high in salt face twice the risk of developing cardiovascular disease as those who consume less sodium.

The observational study surveyed 1,588 patients, between the ages of 40 and 70 years, with type 2 diabetes about their diets (including sodium intake) and documented cases of cardiovascular complications over the course of eight years (1). The study results showed that participants who ate an average of 5.9 grams of sodium daily had double the risk of developing cardiovascular disease than those who ate, on average,
2.8 grams of sodium daily.

The researchers commented that it is important for people who have type 2 diabetes to improve their blood sugar control as well as watch their diet. Restricting salt in the diet could help prevent dangerous complica-tions from diabetes such as heart disease. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 29.1 million Americans have some form of diabetes. This population is at risk for heart disease.

1. Horiakwa C. et al. Dietary Sodium Intake and Incidence of Diabetes Complications in Japanese Patients with Type 2 Diabetes – Analysis of the Japan Diabetes Complications Study (JDCS). The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. Published online July 2014.