“Be Boring”: Doctor Shares Health Tips That Might Make Your Life Better

Currently, Dr. James DiNicolantonio works as a cardiovascular research scientist and doctor of pharmacy at Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City, Missouri. DiNicolantonio also has many research publications (over 200, as his bio on Penguin Random House states) under his name, and has even testified in front of the Canadian Senate about the harms of added sugars.

He's also the author of numerous books about nutrition. In 1999, he authored a book about a ketogenic diet called Superfuel. Recently, he came out with books such as The Longevity Solution, The Immunity Fix, The Mineral Fix, and The Obesity Fix. Because his opinions often go against conventional medical advice, he's a somewhat controversial figure in the medical field.

His most controversial claim is perhaps the one from his book The Salt Fix. In it, DiNicolantonio claims that salt isn't as bad as experts previously led us to believe. In fact, he urges people to eat more salt, not less, as we've been told before by nutrition experts, writing: "Salt everything!"

The American Heart Association recommends eating only 1.5mg of salt per day. They claim that on average, Americans consume too much salt: about 3.5mg a day. 2.3mg should be the very maximum, at least. DiNicolantonio, in turn, claims that people should be eating anywhere from 7.5mg to 15g of salt a day.

What does too much salt do to us, exactly? "Significant evidence links excess sodium intake with high blood pressure, which increases the risk of heart attack, stroke and heart failure," The American Heart Association writes. They also address new research, which DiNicolantonio probably uses to base his claims on. The AHA says that often, such research is flawed.

"[It includes] inaccurate sodium intake measurements and an emphasis on studying people who are sick rather than the general population," the AHA writes. "Often, the studies with paradoxical findings are poorly designed to examine the relationship between sodium intake and health outcomes."

Some medical experts have even gone as far as to call DiNicolantonio's claims a danger to public health. "By advocating a high-salt diet this book is putting the health of many at risk and it undermines internationally recognised evidence that shows a diet high in salt is linked to high blood pressure, a known risk for heart disease," Prof Louis Levy, head of nutrition science at Public Health England, told The Guardian.

Other medical experts point out that you can't ignore the evidence: the rates of heart disease have lowered. "We've got all the epidemiology, migration studies, treatment trials, mortality trials and now outcome trials in countries," Graham MacGregor, professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at the Wolfson Institute, Queen Mary University of London, added.

"Finland has reduced salt. The UK has and there have been big drops in heart deaths. You can't really argue against the importance of salt but you always get one or two people who deny it."

At the heart of DiNicolantonio's claims is that sugar is far worse for us than salt. Instead of making salt the evil of all our ailments, we should blame added sugars. Salt, according to him, is an essential nutrient that we need. And that might be the only thing other experts in the medical community agree with him on. 

Underconsumption of salt can lead to serious health issues as well. One study showed that people who consumed less than 3mg of sodium per day were more likely to pass away or have heart disease than those who consumed 4-5g. Still, experts worry that DiNicolantonio takes the possibility of salt underconsumption to an extreme and view his recommendation to eat more salt as dangerous.

DiNicolantonio also has some other problematic allegations against him, such as being a cholesterol denialist (he says that high blood cholesterol levels do not increase the risk of heart disease) and claiming that seed and vegetable oils cause cancer, heart disease, inflammation, and other chronic conditions.

This Panda is no doctor, but she thinks it's always best to consult with your own doctor when it comes to making drastic changes in your diet and lifestyle. At the end of the day, no one knows your medical history and what's best for you than you and your primary care physician.