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Comment by buu700 | Hacker News Reader

As someone who eats strictly keto (low-carb/high-fat), I actually have to make a concerted effort to get enough salt in my diet due to my naturally retaining less water than non-keto people.

This includes making somewhat high-salt food choices wherever reasonable — bacon, pickles, salted butter, cooking with salt in general, etc. — as well as actually adding a salt/electrolyte solution to the water I drink throughout each day. Not only is my blood pressure fine, my most recent blood test sodium levels are actually on the low end of normal (so I've been trying to bump up my salt intake even a bit higher).

Not sure if this says anything interesting about salt, except maybe that carbohydrates could be the real problem that got salt unfairly blamed.

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I've also been on a mostly-keto diet for the past two years. I don't really pay attention to salt; didn't eat that much to begin with even before keto.

But yes, it's one of those big food myths. I even know a health teacher in the Peace Corps who is telling 6th graders to cut down salt. It's really sad.

I gotta ask. I don't mean to offend. Keto diet sounds like a good way to lose weight. But does it make ones breath smell?

This might be an effect of too much protein in a diet. If you are controlling for carbs, then the solution is to replace protein with more fat.

Keto diet makes your body produce ketones for energy, so you get the acetone breath - or something like that

I can jump in here. I lost 16kg on a ketogenic diet.

My gut is a lot happier as evidenced by more regular and better (firm, soft, not runny) bowel movements.

There is a definite smell (breath) associated with ketosis. It varies by person but it is often noticeable.

I asked my wife to track it as it's very hard to notice it yourself and she says that my system produces a slightly metallic smell the isn't objectively bad, just different to normal.

I have Muslim friends and during Ramadaan there is a noticeable smell which is subjectively bad from some of them.

A friend who works as a nurse in a very low income area says that she can detect someone who isn't eating normally by the smell - very important to spot if that person is also pregnant.

It's a long way of saying: yes there is a smell, it varies by person.

During Ramadan Muslims are not allowed to drink water, right? That probably means their mouth is very dry during the fasting time meaning there's more than usual amount of odor-causing bacteria in their mouth.

I'd pick better health before better breath! Keto is amazing, I'm never hungry - you not only live longer, because it's less harmful, but you save so much time and energy having to think about food and eating it! I eat 1-2 times a day, ideally, I want to eat once a day and I can, but for social reasons, I eat twice most of the time. Eating once at night has a name - Warrior Diet [0].

[0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warrior_diet

As someone who eats strictly keto (low-carb/high-fat),

How much time have you been doing it?

About two years now, and I'd been doing it less strictly / on-and-off for a year and a half before that.

I've definitely noticed feeling much more focused and productive since starting, and it also helped with dropping from 210 to a bit over 150 pounds in the first few months of 2014.

Also anecdotal, my cofounder at my current startup Cyph has been on keto for close to a year now, and in that time has had a heart condition almost entirely vanish and his body fat drop to something like 6%.

+1 for keto here.

the only real downside is that it's extremely difficult to maintain the discipline to avoid carbs! also the social aspects.

I would actually say that it's extremely easy, but only because any carb cravings I may have are met with the flour/sugar substitutes and pre-baked goods from LC Foods (holdthecarbs.com), along with other common carb replacements like shirataki noodles. It's pretty nice that I can freely eat awesome dishes like pizza with the crust fried in clarified butter that people who aren't on a high-fat diet would never touch.

That said, it would certainly take some discipline without something like LC Foods, and I suppose there's also the issue that keto kinda forces you to become an amateur chef (but I at least enjoy that aspect and don't find that it's super time-consuming).

While the social aspect is of course an issue, one interesting thing socially is that anything I cook for guests at home is LCHF, and people are always shocked when I mention it in passing later on; e.g. one reaction to my stevia ice cream was something like "I thought it was weird that I wasn't getting a headache like I usually do after eating sugar!".

yeah, sure, all that stuff. but it's still hard to not order fries when i go out to eat.

the reason i got fat in the first place is because i love, love, love, love, love carbs. real honest to god carbs, not half-assed replacement like fake noodles.

Ah, then maybe it's just easier for me because I've never really liked fries and have always seen noodles as nothing more than vessels for sauces/cheeses/meats/etc. (a common complaint about shirataki is that it's flavourless, but to me good quality shirataki is indistinguishable from ramen noodles — probably because I'd never noticed any particular flavour of noodles to begin with).

Think the jury is still somewhat "out"...salt sensitivity variations are difficult to test for...

It is fairly well known that reducing salt intake lowers blood pressure...that has been prescribed for decades, with proven results....

Modern carbs, especially those that are "processed", very often have salt added...no doubt we get too much from modern diets....

Sounds as your dilemma is similar to that of humans from the past...which made salt valuable as an item for trade...

The article specifically points out the scientifically demonstrated opposite relationship between salt intake and blood pressure than the one you have stated here. "It is fairly well known" is nearly always weaselspeak for unfounded opinion, especially in this case.

I'm tired of this from people who discuss eating habits, because personal changes are personal yet many people interpret them as scientific. If you argue about eating on the Internet, step back and understand that your experiences will always vary. Just own that it's an opinion, and I won't begrudge you an opinion. I'll call it wrong, but I'll let you have it. It's your opinion.

I understand your point...

By my reading, the article simply presents evidence that a "broad recommendation" that the public reduce salt consumption may not justified...included is one of the reasons I mention in the first sentence of my reply--the variation in salt-sensitivity from individual to individual in a population...some will benefit, others may see either very marginal gains, or none at all...

We disagree on whether or not the article presents evidence of a scientifically "opposite" relationship...suggesting that there is not enough evidence to support proposing a course of action is not the same as saying that proposing that course of action is clearly contraindicated...

A reduction in salt intake is one of several recommendations that a physician will make if you're diagnosed with hypertension...there are others...weight loss, exercise, medication, etc...any, or all combined, may contribute to lowering your blood pressure...if you have a high salt-sensitivity, as some segments of the population do, you can expect gains...if not, then not...

Recommending bodies, in instances like this, primarily concern themselves with an intended effect on a population...statistics serve a purpose, but don't as readily apply to individuals, as you correctly infer later on in your reply...e.g.,"your mileage may vary"...

Science is a beautiful self-correcting mechanism...given time...it may eventually be decided that recommending salt reduction is harmful as a general strategy...in that case your contention that a "scientifically demonstrated opposite relationship" is what's being pointed out in the article may be eventually be validated...

I don't think we're there yet...hence, I think the jury is still "out"...

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