A significant study reveals that sprinkling salt on your dinner could lead you to an early grave.
For nearly a decade, researchers monitored more than 500,000 British citizens.
People who always added extra salt to their meals had a 28 percent higher risk of dying before the age of 75, compared to those who never or seldom did so.
Excess salt in the body causes water retention in the blood, which exerts pressure on the blood vessels and raises blood pressure. This can increase the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke.
Heart disease and strokes are one of the leading causes of death, accounting for around 160,000 deaths annually in the United States alone.
The NHS recommends that individuals consume no more than 6g of salt each day. Even less should be given to children.
However, according to scientists, salt “hidden” in our food means that many Britons consume more salt than they realize.
The British Heart Foundation’s Chloe MacArthur stated, “We need salt in our diet.”
“However, overeating may cause hypertension, which in turn increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.”
While it is always vital for individuals to avoid adding too much salt to their food, the vast majority of salt is already present in foods when they are purchased, meaning that we consume more than we realize.
Due to the difficulty in detecting overall salt intake as a result of the high quantities of salt found in typical diets, researchers chose to examine the practice of adding salt to food at the table.
To improve the flavor of a variety of foods, including quick soups and pasta sauces, sodium is added.
Adding salt to products such as sliced hams and other cured meats can also increase their shelf life.
In the United Kingdom, healthier salt choices with extra potassium and less sodium are currently available in supermarkets.
Experts from Tulane University analyzed data from 501,379 UK Biobank participants.
In the beginning, participants were asked how frequently they added salt to their meals, with options including never/rarely, occasionally, usually, and always.
Approximately 18,474 premature deaths (before the age of 75) were observed over an average of nine years of follow-up.
About three out of every one hundred adults between the ages of 40 and 69 die prematurely in the overall population.
New calculations for the study, which were published in the European Heart Journal, indicate that one additional person in 100 who adds salt to their food may die prematurely.
Professor Lu Qi and his team also determined how many years salt-lovers lost in comparison to individuals who did not consume salt.
Around 1.5 years and 2.3 years were subtracted from the life expectancy of women and men at age 50, respectively, who always added salt to their food.
Scientists discovered those who consumed the most fruits and vegetables had a marginally lower chance of premature mortality.
Professor Qi noted, “Even a slight reduction in sodium intake, achieved by adding less or no salt to food at the table, is likely to have major health benefits.
‘Adding salt to food at the table is a common eating behavior that is closely associated with a person’s long-term taste for salty-tasting foods and regular salt intake.
“Adding salt at the table accounts for 6 to 20% of the total salt intake in the Western diet,”
And [it] provides a novel method for evaluating the connection between regular sodium consumption and mortality risk.
However, Professor Qi stated, “Additional research is required to corroborate the findings before offering suggestions.”
Heart disease and strokes are responsible for a quarter of deaths in the United Kingdom, or 160,000 every year, or one death every three minutes.
More than 877,500 Americans die annually from heart disease, stroke, or other cardiac illnesses.
Every day, consume at least five pieces of a variety of fruits and vegetables. All fresh, frozen, dehydrated, and tinned fruits and vegetables are included.
Ideally, meals should be based on whole-grain potatoes, bread, rice, pasta, or other starchy carbohydrates.
30 grams of fiber per day is equivalent to consuming all of the following: Five servings of fruits and vegetables, two whole-wheat cereal biscuits, two thick slices of wholemeal bread, and a large baked potato with the skin.
Consume some dairy or dairy alternatives (such as soy beverages), opting for those with less fat and sugar.
Consume some beans, lentils, seafood, eggs, and other protein sources (including 2 portions of fish every week, one of which should be oily)
Select unsaturated oils and spreads, and consume in moderation.
Consume 6 to 8 cups/glasses of water per day.
Less than 6g of salt and 20g of saturated fat for women and 30g for men should be consumed daily by adults.
