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 .
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 . Salt is an essential mineral that our bodies need for proper functioning, and it's one of the most common minerals in food.