Research based on 500,000 middle-aged Britons found that those who always added extra salt to food were 28% more likely to die before the age of 75. It’s the first study to quantify the effects of extra seasoning and found that, at age 50, women who always added salt lost an average of 1.5 years of life, while men could expect to die 2.23 years earlier. In the general population, about three in 100 people between the ages of 40 and 69 die prematurely. The increased risk from always adding salt to food seen in the study suggests that one more person in 100 would die prematurely in this age group simply through the addition.
Modest reduction with possible health benefits
Professor Lu Qi, of the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans, said: “To my knowledge, our study is the first to assess the relationship between added salt in food and premature death. “It provides new evidence to support recommendations to modify dietary behaviors to improve health. Even a modest reduction in sodium intake, by adding less or no salt to food at the table, is likely to lead to significant health benefits, especially when achieved in the general population.” A diet high in salt can raise blood pressure, increasing the risk of heart attack or stroke. It is recommended that adults eat no more than 6g of salt or 2.4g of sodium per day – about one teaspoon. In Western societies, added table salt accounts for between 6 and 20 percent of total salt intake. The researchers analyzed data from 501,379 people who took part in the UK Biobank study. They followed the participants for an average of nine years and recorded those who had died before the age of 75. After taking into account other factors that can shorten life, such as underestimation, disease and poor education, the researchers found a clear link between salt and early death. They also found that the risk was slightly reduced in people who consumed the highest amounts of fruits and vegetables, but not enough to be statistically significant.
No more extra salt an easy intervention
“We were not surprised by this finding, as fruits and vegetables are major sources of potassium, which has protective effects and is associated with a lower risk of early death,” added Professor Qi. “Because our study is the first to report an association between added salt in food and mortality, further studies are needed to validate the findings before recommendations can be made.” In an article accompanying the paper, Professor Annika Rosengren, senior researcher and professor of medicine at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, warned that while cutting out salt completely is not indicated, stopping adding extra salt to meals could it’s an easy intervention. “Given the various indications that a very low sodium intake may not be beneficial or even harmful, it is important to distinguish between individual-based recommendations and population-level actions,” he said. “Not adding extra salt to food is unlikely to be harmful and could contribute to strategies to lower population blood pressure levels.” The research was published in the European Heart Journal.
