Many people are aware that eating too much salt elevates blood pressure, which can lead to cardiovascular issues. What is new today, according to Science Alert, is that a recent study identified the link between high salt intake and heart attacks.
Based on the health data of adults in China, the study researchers estimated that reducing salt intake by just 1 gramme per day would be enough to prevent 9 million cases of stroke and heart attacks between now and 2030, with the possibility of 4 of them resulting in death. This means that such a simple measure can save many lives.
In China, the average daily salt consumption per person is 11 grammes, which is substantially more than the World Health Organization’s recommendation of 5 grammes.
The researchers collated the most recent figures on China’s population size, salt intake, blood pressure, and illness rates in their new study, which was published in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention, and Health.
Aside from lowering daily salt consumption by one gramme, the researchers evaluated two alternative scenarios: cutting 3.
2 grammes of current daily use (30% lower than the national average) by 2025, and 5 grammes daily by 2030.
The researchers indicated that if the planned daily consumption decrease was reached, it would be able to avoid up to half of cardiovascular disease fatalities due to the anticipated drop in systolic blood pressure.
In this context, the researchers observed that the decrease should be constant across multiple years.
The researchers also emphasised the significance of low-sodium, high-potassium salt replacements, home-cooking health education, and restaurant recommendations, some of which have previously demonstrated positive outcomes in lowering daily salt intake.
The current study was limited to researching the possibility of lowering the incidence of cardiovascular diseases, but its findings suggest that reducing salt intake will have several other benefits as well, especially since eating a lot of salt has been linked to certain types of cancers and various kidney problems, for example.
Strokes can be avoided by reducing salt intake by one gramme per day.
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