DENVER — We’ve all heard that cutting the salt in our diet is important, but a new study is turning the tables on that idea.

Researchers now say cutting the salt too much can cause serious health problems and they are now raising the daily recommendation. See the study here.

Salt has a pretty bad rap.  Dieters don’t want to get bloated from it and parents don’t want their kids getting too much of it.

The American Heart Association says adults should get between 1500 and 2300 milligrams of salt per day.

Most Americans consume twice that much.  Keep in mind a simple can of soup can contain about 1,000 milligrams.  New studies show getting less than 3,000 milligrams of sodium each day can raise your risk of heart attack or stroke by 27 percent.

If you get more than 6,000 milligrams your risk is even higher.

Obviously, finding a happy medium can be difficult.

Dr. Sharon Bergquist of Emory University says not getting enough salt can create nutrient deficiencies and adds, “Table salt contains more iodine because since the 1920`s we`ve been putting iodine in salt to avoid iodine deficiencies.”

Salt can also regulate blood sugar and hydration.

The issue with salt is that you can find it in many foods where you would expect it and in other foods where you wouldn’t, like many leafy green vegetables and also nuts that are unsalted.

The key is to read labels so you know exactly what you’re getting.

Nutritionists say beware of foods that are pegged as healthy but have a lot of sodium — like some cereals — and follow a general rule of thumb when it comes to prepared foods.

Cardiologist Warren Levy says, “Anything that comes out of a can, anything with preservatives, automatically has high sodium (and) anything that`s easy for us to make usually has high sodium.”

Health experts emphasize that because everyone is different, it’s best to discuss how much sodium you need with your doctor.