Ep 195 Salt Part 2: The Substance

This Podcast Will Kill You

Exactly Right and iHeartPodcasts

Health & Fitness, Science

4.8 • 17.1K Ratings

🗓️ 2 December 2025

⏱️ 54 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

We ended last week’s episode on a bit of a cliffhanger: is salt actually bad for us and if so, why does there still seem to be a debate? This week’s episode holds all the answers. We’re sifting through the noise to figure out what salt actually does in our bodies, how it might impact our health, and why we crave this delicious substance. If you’ve ever wondered how we’ve arrived at the maximum daily sodium intake (2300 mg for adults) and why salt impacts blood pressure, then this is the episode for you!

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This is exactly right.
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0:41.6	Intake of salt is a biological imperative, inextricably woven into physiological systems,
0:48.5	human societies, and global culture. However, excessive salt intake is associated with high blood pressure. The crucial
0:56.8	question is whether salt exerts a causal influence on patient-centered health outcomes, such as
1:03.0	myocardial infarction, stroke, and death. However, this issue is controversial and fiercely debated.
1:10.0	Despite the controversy, two broad points of consensus exist. However, this issue is controversial and fiercely debated.
1:14.3	Despite the controversy, two broad points of consensus exist.
1:19.5	The first is that the uncertainty could be resolved by better quality data,
1:23.7	that is, large, randomized clinical trials with sufficient follow-up to assess robust cardiovascular outcomes.
1:27.3	The second is that the barriers to performing such trials are so substantial that they will be rarely, if ever, surmounted.
1:39.4	The The
1:47.0	The I'm Okay. So many questions. What was that from? When was that from? Who wrote that?
2:31.5	I can't wait to tell you. Okay. So that was, I pulled clips, like little bits from the intro and from later in a paper.
2:40.3	Uh-huh.
2:40.8	From a very recent paper.
2:43.7	Uh, I have to scroll, why didn't I put this up?
2:45.9	I'm scrolling all the way to the bottom of my notes.
2:47.9	Uh, from nature reviews nephrology from 2022 by Hunter at All titled The Impact of Excessive Salt
	...

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