2024-02-16 09:31:38
by Antonella Sparvoli
Higher consumers are more exposed to chronic kidney disease. Habits can be changed: less salt helps preserve kidney health but also reduce the risk of high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases
Those who have the habit of adding salt to the dishes they bring to the table have a greater risk of developing kidney disease, proportional to the frequency with which they use it. This is suggested by a large British study, published in the Jama Network Open magazine, which also highlighted how it is possible to reverse the trend by changing eating habits.
I study
More than 460,000 people were examined in the British study, none of whom had kidney disease at the start of the research. The participants, divided into several groups in relation to the self-reported addition of salt to foods (never or rarely, sometimes, often, always), were followed for an average of 12 years.
Well, the data collected showed that the major consumers of salt had an increased risk of as much as 29 percent of developing chronic kidney disease, a percentage which dropped to 11 in those who used it frequently and to 7 percent in who added it to foods occasionally.
«The people who said they added salt more frequently were also those with a less healthy lifestyle and other health problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes, overweight or obesity – points out Professor Giuseppe Castellano, director of the Nephrology Unit , dialysis and kidney transplants of the IRCCS Fondazione Policlinico di Milano and associate professor at the University of Milan —. Even taking these confounding factors into account, the association between salt consumption and kidney disease remained clear. The high concentration of sodium in the blood overloads the kidneys and, over time, this constant stress can damage these “filters” and increase the risk of developing chronic renal failure.”
The harmful effects of salt
There are numerous negative effects associated with a diet rich in salt. The best known is undoubtedly the increase in blood pressure. «Excess sodium in the blood increases fluid retention, increasing the volume of the blood and consequently the pressure it exerts on the walls of the blood vessels – Castellano points out -. Hypertension, in turn, is an important risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, starting from heart attack and stroke.” Excessive salt consumption also promotes water retention in the body which can manifest itself in the form of swelling, especially in the legs and feet. There is also evidence linking excess salt to other conditions, such as osteoporosis and some autoimmune diseases, from rheumatoid arthritis to systemic lupus erythematosus.
«Recent studies show the potential of sodium to inflame particular immune cells, capable of stimulating the production of inflammatory substances. Systemic inflammation, although at low levels, can have important metabolic, immune and hormonal repercussions over time” adds Castellano.
Less salt, more health
Several studies have highlighted that a healthy lifestyle, combined with a low-salt diet, can reduce the risk of hypertension and cardiovascular disease, but can also help preserve kidney health. «The ideal is to follow a varied and balanced diet such as the Mediterranean one. Salt should normally not be added to foods because they already contain it, especially processed foods (such as sausages, salty snacks, ready-to-eat foods and packaged condiments), the consumption of which should be reduced in favor of fresh and home-prepared options – suggests Castellano —. To give more flavor to foods, salt can be replaced with spices and aromatic herbs. Another useful trick is to carefully read food labels when you go shopping, trying to identify products without added salt or with low sodium content.”
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February 16, 2024 (modified February 16, 2024 | 10:39)
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