India, Jan. 10 -- Salt has long been cast as a dietary villain, with wellness trends and blanket health advice urging everyone to cut back - often without nuance. Yet sodium is not just a flavour enhancer; it is essential for nerve signalling, muscle contraction, fluid balance, and blood pressure regulation. So if the body needs salt to function, why is it so frequently blamed for poor health outcomes? The answer, experts suggest, lies in physiology rather than absolutes.

Dr Dmitry Yaranov, a cardiologist and heart-transplant specialist with expertise in advanced heart failure and mechanical circulatory support, is unpacking the long-standing debate around salt - questioning whether it is truly a villain for everyone, or only harmful for...