Salt, diet and health - G. A. MacGregor

The deliberate and often well-camouflaged addition of excess salt to processed foods has momentous health consequences, comparable in nature to the well-documented risks of smoking tobacco. Should our processed food come with a government health warning? The authors of this book provide a compelling and forceful account of these complex issues, teasing out fact from fantasy, and casting light on some of the hidden forces working to manipulate and exploit the consumer. This scientific detective story unravels with startling clarity how the evidence for the prosecution has been obfuscated, misinterpreted and even denigrated by some of the powerful vested interests of the multi-billion dollar food industry. Along the way, the authors illuminate the rich history and mythology associated with salt, its symbolism and manifold socio-economic consequences, all illustrated with an entertaining and eclectic selection of historical and contemporary illustrations. On the one hand this is a book with profound implications for public health, and on the other it is an entertaining and instructive account of a part of our diet that is too easily taken for granted, and ignored at our peril.