Name of study: More spice could help seniors avoid salt
By who and where: Washington State University, USA
What does it say?
✥ Proper intake of spices can replace or reduce the quantity of salt in one’s diet. With that, the risk
of cardiovascular disease among people over 60 reduces.
✥ The ability to taste and smell weakens with age and therefore, reducing salt from the diet of elders is not that difficult.
✥ The research also noticed that it was difficult for the older participants to differentiate between the samples of food with low and high salt.
For
Replacing is better
Dr Lakshmi Senior Dietician, Kamineni Hospitals, Hyderabad
Spices are an excellent salt substitute. Spices enhance the food by providing extra flavour, hence reducing the need for salt. Certain herbs are good too. The addition of citrus, mustard, and vinegar helps. When you reduce/stop cooking with salt, your taste buds will also get used to its absence. The chemical sensory systems (smell, chemesthesis) that contribute to the overall flavour perception plays an important role in food acceptance and may thus be useful to consider when developing strategies to successfully reduce overall sodium in the diet.
Against
Practise moderation
Dr Sunil Havannavar Senior Consultant - Internal Medicine, Manipal Hospital, Sarjapur, Bangaluru
The patterns of diseases and morbidities across all ages, especially in the elderly, is different in different geographic areas. What suits the western population might not be suited for our Asian population. We see a different set of problems with our elderly patients such as gastric issues, bloating, dyspepsia, and constipation commonly. Adding more spices will worsen symptoms. At times, these symptoms might mimic the cardiac symptoms. Also, low salt or sodium levels (hyponatremia) in the body among elders can cause drowsiness, confusion and even lead to seizures.