…or not to salt? That is the question:

…a series of studies looking at dietary salt have recently suggested the evidence base for population-wide salt-reduction policies may not be as strong as first thought.

A separate Cochrane Library review conducted by British researchers and published in July found no evidence that small reductions in salt intake lowered the risk of developing heart disease or dying prematurely.

And another study by Belgian scientists published in May found that people who ate lots of salt were no more likely to get high blood pressure, and were statistically less likely to die of heart disease, than those with low salt intake.

Graudal said his results showed that when salt intake is reduced, there are increases in some hormones and in fats known as lipids “which could be harmful if persistent over time.”

He added that because none of the studies in the review were able to measure long-term health effects, his team was not able to say “if low salt diets improve or worsen health outcomes.”

Graudal said the growing number of studies questioning the net benefit of salt reduction meant public health officials should look again at their guidelines.

Emphasis mine. But some people are sodium sensitive, and I think I’m one of them.

I cut way back on salt back in February, because my BP was through the roof, and it’s gotten it down from ridiculously high (sometimes above 200 systolic) to moderately high (e.g., 140/95 this morning and lower at night if I’ve had a couple drinks, like 117/75). When I heard this reported on the news this morning, they said that cutting back on salt intake might increase one’s cholesterol level by two percent, which seems trivial to me. So I’m not going to go back on a bacon and jerky diet. Since going paleo (of which salt reduction was just part) several months ago, my weight is down (not a goal, though not a problem either) and when I tested my cholesterol a couple weeks ago, it was 207 total, with tryglycerides less than fifty, and HDL of almost eighty, which is the best results I’ve ever had in my life, and all due to diet alone. So I think I’ll stick with what I’m doing.

But Bloomberg should butt out.