Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - February 21, 2014, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A9 E VERYBODY believes we're being done in by too much salt. Processed " junk" foods packed with the stuff drive up blood pressure, which causes strokes and heart disease. Unscrupulous food producers are busy addicting us to an ever- greater salt craving. Every dietary guideline warns us away from salt. There is a biological rationale for these concerns. The body keeps its important balance of salt and water in a narrow range. When we eat salt, we automatically retain more water to dilute the salt. So the volume of blood goes up and so does our blood pressure; the heart then has to push harder and so the blood pressure goes even higher. High blood pressure causes strokes and kidney disease, and a weak heart can't move blood against the pressure, so its pumping may fail. When you cut salt from your diet, goes the argument, your blood volume and blood pressure go down and strokes, kidney disease and heart failure are prevented. It's a pretty compelling argument to reduce your salt intake. But does the science back it up? You might be surprised to find the answer is no, not really. The world- famous evidence evaluator, the Cochrane Collaboration, has done the two best metaanalyses on the subject. They concluded longterm trials of quite extreme reduction in dietary salt only minimally reduced blood pressure, the reduction being about the same as the margin of error in blood- pressure measuring devices. The collaboration also found no salt restriction justified in pregnancy and no effect of dietary salt reduction on asthma patients. Two epidemiologists working in the U. K. have also done a large meta- analysis of lower- quality studies, which indicate salt reduction correlates with minor changes in heart disease risk factors. Blood pressure fell by five or six per cent, but some lipid levels actually rose. But this review, echoing the Cochrane findings, found next to nothing to indicate salt consumption significantly affects heart disease directly. In other words, reducing salt does not appear to save lives. This review included one study that did find an association between salt reduction and heartdisease outcomes. This one study suggested you could prevent a single cardiovascular " event" - which means a stroke, a heart attack or simply chest pain - for every 1,000 person- years of salt restriction. What does this mean? It means ( assuming every link in the logic chain of the study is sound, and this one study was correct and all the others contradicting it were wrong), if you ate bland- tasting food from birth to death, you would have approximately one chance in 16 of avoiding one episode of heart- related trouble. So, what about the reverse, then? Could restricting salt be harmful? American epidemiologist Michael Alderman pointed out in an article questioning the wisdom of salt restriction that when we measure only blood pressure, there may actually be negative consequences to reducing salt we aren't measuring. We may not be getting the full story, in other words. In fact, a second Cochrane Collaboration review of high- quality trials of salt restriction found no convincing evidence of beneficial effect of salt restriction on cardiovascular diseases including strokes. And one of the studies they evaluated showed an almost three- fold increased risk of death from restricting salt in people with congestive heart failure. Another trial seems to confirm that even in acute congestive heart failure, salt- restriction might not be a great idea. Still, every day in every way, the media choruses with the familiar strains of the common wisdom: " Cut back on salt!" Authorities tell us not to eat more than 1,500 to 2,500 milligrams of salt daily. But get this: A teaspoon of ordinary table salt is 5,000 to 6,000 milligrams - two to four times the entire recommended daily salt intake for a healthy adult. The scientific bottom line is clear: cutting back salt has not been shown to make any real difference to health outcomes. Could it be time to bring back the salt shaker to the table? J ohn Sloan, MD, is a practising family physician and a clinical professor in the department of family practice at the University of British Columbia. He is the author of two published books and the forthcoming, Delusion for Dinner: Unmasking the myth of healthy eating. House- call conundrum While expanding the work of nurse practitioners into house calls otherwise made by medical doctors is a great idea, it's disingenuous for Daren Jorgenson to characterize the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba as protecting doctors' turf ( Doctor didn't act alone: clinic , Feb. 20). Self- regulation by a profession is a serious responsibility. Jorgensen clearly understood billing a nurse practitioner's work under an MD's billing number is a serious offence - that's how he hoped to provoke the province to action. Now he's upset the college stepped in, and the province is still not compelled to engage him in court. Jorgenson's idea is not uniquely his - it has been shared by many MDs for years. If his ability to capitalize on demand at his business is being impeded by public policy, the way to go about changing that is not by having professionals compromise themselves with their governing body. There's an election coming. Political parties have policy meetings - their leaders take meetings with innovative business people. Jorgenson is not to be feted as a cause c�l�bre here. LARRY GREGAN Winnipeg Loving the long weekend Re: Mayor wary of Arizona query , Feb. 20. By unilaterally recasting Manitoba's Louis Riel holiday - a welcome tribute to this province's father of confederation - as the " Valentine's long weekend," Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz has come up with another clever scheme to rekindle the love his administration has lost at city hall. Purveyors of flowers, chocolates and myopic political spin are thrilled. Lovers of history, not so much. ARTHUR ELLIS Winnipeg City's deficit blame game Transcona councillor and finance chairman Russ Wyatt is playing a smoke- and- mirrors game, blaming this year's $ 1.8- million budget deficit on snow ( City hall blames snow for deficit , Feb. 19). With cost overruns on the new police headquarters ranging upwards of $ 75 million of taxpayers' money, it's no wonder Wyatt is scrambling to pass the buck onto someone else - whether it's on city staff or on the weather. It's been almost 16 years since the city has conducted a cost analysis of public versus privately contracted snow- clearing operations. This is yet another lost opportunity to look at saving money and increasing efficiencies in the best interest of the citizens. Perhaps it's high time politicians to do the right thing and look at bringing snow clearing back in- house. MIKE DAVIDSON President, CUPE Local 500 Winnipeg Parks help climate, economy Jim Collinson asserts a new provincial park in the Hudson Bay Lowlands would remove the ability to balance ecological protection and development ( Protect wildlife and Manitoba's prosperity , Feb. 15). What he fails to recognize, however, is provincial parks can contribute to sustainable development. Official park designations go hand in hand with creating ecotourism opportunities. In turn, this has a great benefit to the province by driving the economy with an influx of tourism dollars and the creation of jobs to support tourist activity. More, he suggests unregulated development does not greatly threaten polar bears and the northern ecosystem when, in fact, the opposite is true. Though climate change does pose a threat to Manitoba's north, without provincially protected land, the ability to regulate development that impedes on crucial habitat for northern species is limited. Ensuring the protection of this landscape is important not only to conserve species diversity within the region, but also in mitigating climate change, as the Arctic acts as a carbon reservoir. ALANA WILCOX Winnipeg Immigration stream strong Re: Newcomers needed to fill jobs , Feb. 18. There has been much fear- mongering and misinformation presented by Manitoba's provincial NDP government about how changes to federally run immigration settlement services and the Provincial Nominee Program ( PNP) will impact immigration to Manitoba. The PNP, as Canada's second- largest economic immigration stream, has helped to spread the benefits of immigration across the country, including to Manitoba. The province has received the second- highest sustained level of PNP allocations in the country, followed only by Alberta. Canada plans to welcome between 44,500 and 47,000 permanent residents through the PNP in 2014. We want to ensure these newcomers have the tools they need to succeed in Canada. Our language requirement is one way we are achieving this. The PNP continues to be a key part of Canada's economic immigration strategy. Through this program, we are ensuring the benefits of immigration are not limited to major centres like Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Under the new expression- of- interest system for economic immigration, which will start Jan. 1, 2015, provinces such as Manitoba will have the opportunity to help us identify even higher numbers of newcomers with the skills and talent to meet local needs across the province. We will process applications for economic immigrants under this new system in six months or less. CHRIS ALEXANDER Citizenship and Immigration Minister Ottawa, Ont. Show ID to vote Why would anyone believe they should get to vote in any North American election without proper identification ( Canada's voting law perilous: U. S. lawyer , Feb. 18)? Requiring people to provide proof of who they are before they are allowed to vote makes perfect sense. What doesn't make sense in our election rules is allowing convicts to vote. CAL PAUL Winnipeg Sidewalk plowing spotty A number of letters have been critical of street and back- lane plowing. It seems sidewalk plow drivers in several areas need refresher courses in operating their machines. Often streets that are along school or bus routes take too long to be cleared, and just as frequently the job is done inconsistently - some stretches are plowed down to the pavement, others have deep ridges left in the middle; some spots seem to have been merely driven over without any clearing done at all, and still others seem to be bypassed entirely as though the driver lost interest and just proceeded to another street. The result is many sidewalks are left uneven, hilly, icy and partially obstructed presenting a treacherous pathway for pedestrians, particularly at night. Municipal inspectors should monitor this situation more closely, and if the contractors hired are only pretending to do the work, the city should only pretend to pay them. EDWARD KATZ Winnipeg HAVE YOUR SAY: The Free Press welcomes letters from readers. Include the author's name, address and telephone number. Letters may be edited. Letters to the Editor, 1355 Mountain Avenue, Winnipeg, R2X 3B6. Fax 697- 7412. Email letters@ freepress. mb. ca Letters represent the opinions of their writers and do not reflect the opinions of the Winnipeg Free Press or its staff. �� LETTER OF THE DAY Kudos to Mary Agnes Welch for her article on adopting a rescue dog ( Magnificent mutts , Feb. 18). Unfortunately, so many people still refuse to consider adopting from a shelter because they believe these dogs " may have behavioural issues." Often they forget a responsible rescue centre will gladly work with potential adopters to ensure a good fit between the dog and adoptive family. There are well over a dozen dog rescues in Manitoba, including many breed- specific rescue centres. I recently helped a close friend foster four hapless pups rescued from a reserve. All four pups grew into wonderful, loving and well- behaved dogs - with permanent homes still needed for three ( they're currently in foster care with Funds for Pets). Wherever you look, there are many deserving dogs in great need of a good home. Most make wonderful pets - all it takes is a little research on our part. JANETTE SLACK Winnipeg Winnipeg Free Press Friday, February 21, 2014 A 9 POLL �� TODAY'S QUESTION What was your favourite moment during Canada's golden day at the Olympics Thursday? �� Vote online at winnipegfreepress. com �� PREVIOUS QUESTION Do you miss watching the Winnipeg Jets? TOTAL RESPONSES 4,632 Winnipeg Free Press est 1872 / Winnipeg Tribune est 1890 VOL 142 NO 101 2014 Winnipeg Free Press, a division of FP Canadian Newspapers Limited Partnership. Published seven days a week at 1355 Mountain Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba R2X 3B6, PH: 204- 697- 7000 BOB COX / Publisher PAUL SAMYN / Editor WFP JULIE CARL / Deputy Editor SCAN TO VOTE ON TODAY'S QUESTION Rescue dogs delightful MELISSA TAIT / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Many dog- rescue shelters help potential adopters find the right pet. C ALGARY - North America's three leaders, the presidents and prime ministers of Canada, the U. S. and Mexico, had some pretty big subjects on their plate when they met this week. Mexico's resurgent energy industry; resolving the visa dispute; further integrating trade; and butterflies. It may seem odd the lowly monarch butterfly was on the agenda of these talks, when - let's face it - their fate is unlikely to have an immediate impact on the price of bread. But I for one am glad it was, and here's why. Monarchs like to migrate between Canada and Mexico. They're up here during the warm summer months and head down to the mountains of central Mexico to spend the winter. But the world has been changing and it's having a devastating impact on these iconic orange- and- black bugs. Monarchs are losing their habitats. Scientists believe global climate change is making their overwintering sites wetter and the spring and summer breeding areas in the U. S. warmer. In summer, if current trends continue, they will have to find even more northerly places in Canada to migrate to. In addition to the rain, those mountains in Mexico are being affected by an increase in logging of the fir trees they love to call home. In California, many of their roosting trees are disappearing. And in summer, the milkweed plants they love to feed on and lay their eggs on are no longer in abundant supply. The World Wildlife Fund blames climate and pesticides. A 2013 butterfly census estimated the number of monarchs making the winter trip to Mexico dropped by 59 per cent in one year, falling to the lowest level in 20 years. There are one- 15th as many butterflies as there were in 1997, the census reported. All of these influences are adding up to the realization the monarch butterfly is an endangered species. Scientists, environmentalists, writers and artists have noticed and have written an open letter to Stephen Harper, Barack Obama and Enrique Pe�a Nieto, asking them to agree to create a corridor of milkweed to reverse butterfly declines. And they did. At the end of their meetings, they announced an agreement to set up a task force to devise a plan to saving the monarchs. " We have agreed to conserve the monarch butterfly as an emblematic species of North America, which unites our three countries," Pe�a Nieto said. No one knows how many species we are losing each year, because there is no accurate estimate. The WWF states that, most conservatively, the annual loss is as low as 200 species or as many as 2,000. Since many of these species aren't part of our everyday lives, it's hard to get emotionally involved in something you don't even know exists. Monarchs are different because they are familiar. I've seen these beautiful and harmless entities all my life, and I've come to think of their movements as a rite of spring and fall. If they weren't around any longer, their absence would make the world a tangibly a lesser place. There is something powerfully symbolic about their potential loss. It represents irrefutable evidence some of the things we are doing to our environment are not good for us. And so, for both symbolic and real reasons, saving monarchs seems like a good place to draw a line in the sand. The leaders of these three nations, of course, can't act alone to save the monarch butterfly. But the agreement to work together to save something that has no commercial value, but tremendous emotional value, could set the wheels in motion to reverse the farming and logging practices that are pushing these bugs to the edge of extinction. Is fretting over the fate of a little butterfly insignificant compared to trade talks? Some might think so. But in the long run, it could mean more. Doug Firby is editor- in- chief and national affairs columnist for Troy Media. - troymedia. com Is salt really a killer? By Dr. John Sloan Lowly monarch looks to Three Amigos for help Doug Firby Yes, I'm suffering withdrawal. 27% Nah, watching the Olympics is way more fun. 23% I think about them every day. But absence makes the heart grow fonder, right? 8% Oh, the Jets are on break? I didn't notice. 24% Who cares about hockey? Roll Up the Rim is back! 17% A_ 11_ Feb- 21- 14_ FP_ 01. indd A9 2/ 20/ 14 7: 41: 54 PM ;