Small Changes in Food, Big Gains for Heart Health: Studies Highlight Impact of Sodium Reduction
Reducing sodium levels in packaged and prepared foods could significantly improve heart health and prevent a substantial number of heart attacks, strokes, and premature deaths in France and the United Kingdom, according to two new studies published in Hypertension, a journal of the American Heart Association. The research underscores the power of population-level interventions to combat cardiovascular disease.
The Silent Threat of Sodium
Excessive sodium consumption is a leading contributor to hypertension, or high blood pressure. The American Heart Association notes that high blood pressure dramatically increases the risk of serious health conditions, including heart attack, stroke, chronic kidney disease, dementia, and other cardiovascular diseases. Many countries have already adopted policies aimed at reducing salt intake, recognizing that lowering sodium consumption at a population level is a cost-effective way to improve long-term health outcomes.
France’s Bread-Based Breakthrough
In France, researchers focused on the potential impact of reducing salt in widely consumed breads, particularly the iconic baguette. Their analysis revealed that cutting salt in these staple foods could lower daily sodium intake by approximately 0.35 grams per person. While seemingly small, this shift could prevent over 1,186 deaths nationwide annually. Specifically, the modeling estimated a 0.18% decline in annual deaths, a 1.04% decrease in hospitalizations for ischemic heart disease, and reductions of 1.05% and 0.88% in hospitalizations for hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke, respectively. Men were projected to experience slightly larger benefits, with 0.87% of heart disease and stroke cases prevented compared to 0.63% among women.
“This salt-reduction measure went completely unnoticed by the French population – no one realized that bread contained less salt,” explained Clémence Grave, M.D., lead author of the French study and an epidemiologist and public health physician at the French National Public Health Agency in Saint-Maurice near Paris. “Our findings show that reformulating food products, even with small, invisible changes, can have a significant impact on public health.”
The success in France stems from a 2022 voluntary agreement between the government and bread producers to lower salt levels by 2025. By 2023, most bread produced in the country already met the new standards.
U.K. Targets and Projected Benefits
A separate analysis conducted in the United Kingdom examined the potential benefits of meeting the country’s 2024 sodium reduction goals, which encompass both packaged foods and takeaway meals. Researchers established sales-weighted average and maximum salt limits for 84 grocery categories and, for the first time, included 24 out-of-home food categories like burgers, curries, and pizza.
The modeling suggests that fully achieving these targets could reduce average daily salt intake by 17.5%, dropping from approximately 6.1 grams to 4.9 grams per person. This reduction is projected to prevent roughly 103,000 cases of ischemic heart disease and 25,000 strokes over a 20-year period. Furthermore, the associated reductions in blood pressure could generate approximately 243,000 additional quality-adjusted life years and save the National Health Service around £1 billion (approximately $1.3 billion USD).
“If U.K. food companies had fully met the 2024 salt reduction targets, the resulting drop in salt intake across the population could have prevented tens of thousands of heart attacks and strokes, saved substantially in health costs and significantly improved public health,” said Lauren Bandy, D.Phil., lead author of the U.K. study and a researcher in food and population health at the University of Oxford. “All without requiring people to change their eating habits.”
A Global Imperative
Together, these studies highlight the profound impact of coordinated action among governments, food manufacturers, and public health leaders. According to Daniel W. Jones, M.D., FAHA, chair of the 2025 American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology High Blood Pressure Guideline, this “national” approach to limiting salt content in commercially prepared foods is particularly effective in countries where a significant portion of food consumption occurs outside the home.
The World Health Organization recommends adults consume less than 2,000 milligrams of sodium per day, while the American Heart Association suggests a maximum of 2,300 milligrams, with an ideal intake of no more than 1,500 milligrams for most adults, especially those with high blood pressure. Strengthening and enforcing sodium reduction efforts worldwide, researchers emphasize, could deliver lasting improvements in heart health for populations globally.
