Show 1038: Should You Be Cutting the Salt in Your Diet?

Americans have been admonished to reduce the amount of sodium in our food. In fact, the American Heart Association has said that all of us should be cutting the salt we eat and aiming for 1500 mg of sodium daily, if not less. That is an amount that is achieved by only a few hardy souls.

Cutting the Salt:

Should you feel bad that you aren't cutting the salt level in your diet so drastically? Maybe not. We talk with Dr. Andrew Mente, lead investigator on a large analysis recently published in The Lancet. The data show that people are more likely to survive at daily sodium intakes between 3,000 and 6,000 mg/day. That's close to what many of us eat.

Cell Phones and Cancer:

What about the dangers of cell phones? A recent rat study suggested that exposure to cell phone radiation could be risky. What does it mean for humans?

Your Summer First Aid Kit:

With summer on the way, it is time to get the first aid kit ready. What do you keep in yours?

We are interested in your stories and questions about low-sodium diets, cell phone hazards and first aid for summer.

This Week's Guests:

Andrew Mente, PhD, is Associate Professor in the Department of Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics at McMaster University.

John Bucher, PhD, is Associate Director of the National Toxicology Program.