http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. The dangerously high salt levels in processed food and fast food remain essentially unchanged, despite numerous calls from public and private health agencies for the food industry to voluntarily reduce sodium levels, reports a new Northwestern Medicine study conducted with the Center for Science in the Public Interest. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-voluntary-reduction-fast-food-salt.html Health Mon, 13 May 2013 16:00:08 EST news287658436 Canadians can track how much salt they're eating and identify the main sources of sodium in their diet using a new online Salt Calculator. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-sodium-online-salt-sums.html Health Mon, 11 Mar 2013 09:45:49 EST news282213940 Clinical pharmacologist Jens Titze, M.D., knew he had a one-of-a-kind scientific opportunity: the Russians were going to simulate a flight to Mars, and he was invited to study the participating cosmonauts. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-simulated-mars-mission-reveals-body.html Medical research Tue, 08 Jan 2013 12:00:08 EST news276861989 From soup to nuts, supermarket shelves teem with products trumpeting their reduced-salt status. Not in the cheese cooler, though. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-scientists-salt-flavor-cheese.html Health Mon, 24 Dec 2012 17:00:01 EST news275583541 An observational study of nearly 1 million patients who underwent surgery suggests that preoperative hyponatremia (an electrolyte disorder in which sodium levels in the blood are low) was associated with an increased risk of complications and death within 30 days of surgery, according to a report published Online First by Archives of Internal Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-links-hyponatremia-death-complications-surgery.html Surgery Mon, 10 Sep 2012 16:00:03 EST news266501246 High blood pressure is responsible for many cardiovascular diseases that are the leading cause of death in industrialized countries. High salt intake has long been considered a risk factor, but not every type of high blood pressure is associated with high salt intake. This has puzzled scientists for a long time. However, new findings by Professor Jens Titze (Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA and the University of Erlangen) now point to previously unknown mechanisms. Accordingly, the skin and the immune system play an important role in the regulation of the sodium balance and hypertension, as he reported at the 1st ECRC "Franz-Volhard" Symposium of the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin on September 7, 2012 in Berlin-Buch. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-skin-immune-salt-storage-blood.html Medical research Sat, 08 Sep 2012 04:41:05 EST news266298058 The recent Supreme Court decision on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has cleared the way for national requirements about posting nutritional information at chain restaurants. Listing calories, fat content, and sodium levels of menu items at the point of purchase has been promoted as a way to address the obesity epidemic. Increased awareness may lead to healthier consumer choices, and may encourage restaurants to adapt their menus to meet demand. A new study has evaluated the real-life impact of menu labeling in King County, Washington, after new regulations were implemented, and has found some improvement, although most entrées continue to exceed recommended nutritional guidelines. The study is available online in advance of publication in the August issue of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-menu-requirements-healthier-options-chain.html Health Thu, 19 Jul 2012 11:50:01 EST news261916221 (AP) -- No need for a salt shaker on the Thanksgiving table: Unless you really cooked from scratch, there's lots of sodium already hidden in the menu. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-salt-hidden-thanksgiving-menu.html Health Mon, 21 Nov 2011 17:10:02 EST news241117232