New guidelines: Less salt, lower blood pressure

[KARE-TV, February 01, 2011] Too much sodium can lead to high blood pressure, which can then lead to heart problems.

So, for the first time, the government's new dietary guidelines recommend that people 51 and older and those with high blood pressure and eat no more than a half-teaspoon of salt a day.

Dr. Elizabeth Grey, a cardiologist with the Minneapolis Heart Institute at Abbott Northwestern, said a half-teaspoon isn't much salt, about 1,000 milligrams.