article: For years medical experts have warned about the dangers of too much salt, but now new research is questioning conventional wisdom and warning instead of the dangers of too little salt . For years medical experts have warned about the dangers of too much salt, but new research is now questioning conventional wisdom and warning instead of the dangers of too little salt. Both federal government regulations and the American Heart Association have for decades warned that excess salt contributes to the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans each year. As the federal government prepares its influential Dietary Guidelines for 2015, some scientists are now saying that the average American salt consumption rate carries no risk. The guidelines currently dictate the people should limit their intake to 2,300 milligrams, with an even stricter 1,500 milligram limit for African Americans and people over 50. In February the  Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee recommended keeping the larger limit, although it withdrew support for the stricter limit for African Americans and people over 50, reports The Washington Post. 'There is no longer any valid basis for the current salt guidelines,' said Andrew Mente, a professor at McMaster University in Ontario and one of the researchers involved in a major study published last year by the New England Journal of Medicine. 'So why are we still scaring people about salt?' While experts on both sides agree that eating too much salt - especially for people with high blood pressure - can be dangerous there is much disagreement over what constitutes too much. The average American ingests about 3,500 milligrams of salt per day - the amount of sodium in a teaspoon of salt - and so under the current dietary guidelines Americans are indeed endangering themselves. Even within the American Heart Association, one of the organizations promoting the current salt limits, there is disagreement with at least one former president claiming that there is no evidence that reducing salt consumption can lower blood pressure . Salt skeptics however believe most Americans are fine. In their view, a typical healthy person can consume as much as 6,000 milligrams per day without significantly raising health risks. The skeptics also warn of the dangers of consuming too little - they say that below 3,000 milligrams also raises health risks. The PURE study published last August by the New England Journal of Medicine found that people who conform to the recommended limits (2,300 milligrams) actually have more heart trouble. They found that low sodium may stimulate the production of renin, a hormone that may have harmful effects on blood vessels. Even within the American Heart Association, one of the organizations promoting the current salt limits, there is disagreement. 'The totality of the evidence strongly suggests that Americans should be lowering their sodium intake,' said Elliott Antman, the president of the American Heart Association. 'Everyone agrees that current sodium intake is too high.' But Suzanne Oparil, a former president of the American Heart Association, told the Post that there is no evidence that reducing salt consumption can lower blood pressure. A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services has said that the federal guidelines are considering comments from the public and the advice of its science panel.
highlights: Current federal government guidelines dictate the people should limit their salt intake to 2,300 milligrams .
  Scientists now believe a typical healthy person can consume as much as 6,000 milligrams per day without significantly raising health risks .
  The same skeptics also warn of the health risks associated with consuming less than 3,000 milligrams .
  Average American ingests about 3,500 milligrams of salt per day .
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