August 2011/Prepared Foods -- Little black or white exists, in regards to much nutritional information (to the frustration of consumers). Instead, there is a continuum of plausibility on nutritional information, ranging from “very unlikely to be true” to “pretty darn sure this is the way it is.” I rely on a steady stream of newsletters and websites to keep abreast of emerging nutrition, with the Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter and Environmental Nutrition being two of my favorites. I have used the Cochrane Reviews on occasion (searchable database at www2.cochrane.org/reviews). The reviews are highly respected and somewhat conservative.
Two Cochrane Reviews have been released on the effectiveness of reducing sodium consumption in improving health. The recent July 2011 review (see http://tinyurl.com/3tst9kn), which was also published in the August 2011 issue of the American Journal of Hypertension, raised a firestorm of comments. Put in simple language, the researchers, headed by Dr. Rod Taylor at the University of Exeter, found insufficient evidence for the long-term health benefits of reducing salt consumption and called for more studies.