His conclusion supports claims made by the Salt Manufacturers' Association, in response to a campaign by the Food Standards Agency.

Professor F sgen presented his findings at the European Geriatrics Congress in Vienna, which ended yesterday (September 19). They show that the symptoms of hyponatraemia (low sodium level in the blood), which are tiredness, difficulty in concentrating and loss of balance, can develop into confusion and even coma if left untreated.

His studies show that up to 10 per cent of older people suffer from sub-acute sodium deficiency, which can result in problems such as nervous disposition, hallucinations, muscle cramps and incontinence.

Professor F sgen explained; "Sodium deficiency is common for elderly people but it is often not recognized. Many older people are not aware of the danger of a low salt diet and try to reduce their consumption of salt because they assume it is healthy to do so."

According to a survey conducted by Professor F sgen, as part of his research, 80 per cent of elderly people try to consume salt sparingly, thinking that too much salt causes high blood pressure. Professor F sgen maintains that a low salt diet is not appropriate for the majority of elderly people.

"We said earlier this week that In the case of the elderly, cutting salt might be dangerous, especially in the summer months. Because they tend to drink less and are less acclimatised to hot weather, salt lost through sweat is not replaced. Their blood pressure rises, so putting added strain on their hearts," says the SMA's general secretary, Peter Sherratt.

"We remain convinced that the Department of Health and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) are ignoring inconvenient evidence in pursuit of a campaign that unfairly targets one of life s essentials.

"They are ignoring the need for more conclusive research and failing to make a proper assessment of the risks it could pose to some population groups."

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Results showed that measures of proinflammatory factors were significantly higher in blood samples from obese subjects than the average weight subjects, while levels of factors that normally inhibit inflammation were significantly lower.

"This proinflammatory state may contribute to insulin resistance," said Dandona, "because the cytokines produced may interfere with insulin action." The index of insulin resistance in the obese subjects was nearly three times higher, on average, than that of the normal subjects, findings showed.

To remedy the inflammation, persons must either change their diet or take medication or both, Dandona said. His laboratory currently is conducting studies with obese subjects to determine how much these remedies are able to reduce cellular inflammation.

In addition to Dandona, UB Distinguished Professor in the Department of Medicine, UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, and Ghanim, researchers involved in the study, all from the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, were Ahmad Aljada, Ph.D., Deborah Hofmeyer, Tufail Syed, M.D., and Priya Mohanty, M.D.

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