Having the salt shaker on the table does not seem like a good idea if you want to live longer and better. According to a study published in the European Heart Journal, people who add salt to their food at the table have a higher risk of dying prematurely from any cause.
Compared to those who never or rarely added salt, the work shows those who always added salt to their food had a 28% higher risk of dying prematurely.
In the general population, one in three out of every hundred people between the ages of 40 and 69 die prematurely. The increased risk of adding salt to food seen in the current study suggests that more than one person in a hundred may die prematurely in this age group.
Additionally, the study found a shorter life expectancy among people who always added salt compared to those who never or rarely added salt.
The researchers, led by Professor Lu Qi, from the Faculty of Public Health and Tropical Medicine of Tulane University, in New Orleans (USA), affirm that their conclusions have several implications for public health.
“To my knowledge, our study is the first to assess the relationship between adding salt to food and premature death,” he says. “It provides novel evidence to support recommendations to modify eating behaviors to improve health. Even a modest reduction in sodium intake, by adding less salt to food or not adding it at the table, is likely to produce substantial health benefits, especially when achieved in the general population.”
Assessing total sodium intake is difficult, as many foods, especially convenience and processed foods, have high levels of added salt before they reach the table. Studies that assess salt intake by urinalysis often only collect a urine test, so they do not necessarily reflect typical behavior.
In addition, foods with a high salt content are usually accompanied by foods rich in potassium, such as fruit and vegetables, which is good for us.
Potassium is known to protect against the risk of heart and metabolic diseases, such as diabetes, while sodium increases the risk of conditions such as cancer, hypertension, and stroke.
For these reasons, the researchers decided to look at whether or not people added salt to their food at the table, regardless of the salt added during cooking.
Sodium increases the risk of conditions such as cancer, high blood pressure and stroke
Lu Qi
tulane university
“Adding salt to foods at the table is a common eating behavior that is directly related to an individual’s long-term preference for salty-tasting foods and habitual salt intake,” Qi notes.
“In the Western diet, adding salt at the table accounts for 6-20% of total salt intake and provides a unique way to assess the association between habitual sodium intake and risk of death.”
In addition to finding that consistently adding salt to food was linked to an increased risk of premature death from all causes and reduced life expectancy, the researchers found that these risks tended to be slightly reduced in people who consumed the highest amounts of fruits and vegetablesalthough these results were not statistically significant.
“We were not surprised by this finding, as fruits and vegetables are important sources of potassium, which has protective effects and is associated with a lower risk of premature death», admits Qi.
He adds: “Since our study is the first to report a relationship between the addition of salt to food and mortality, more studies are needed to validate the results before recommendations can be made.”
In an editorial accompanying the article , Professor Annika Rosengrenof the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, who was not involved in the research, writes that the net effect of drastically reducing salt intake for people remains controversial.
“Because of the various indications that very low sodium intake may not be beneficial, or even harmful, it is important to distinguish between individual-level recommendations and population-level actions,” he writes.
And he concludes: «Classical epidemiology maintains that a greater net benefit is achieved with the population approach (achieving a small effect in many people) than with targeting high-risk individuals (a large effect but only achieved in a small number). of people).
Adding salt to food at the table is a common eating behavior
The obvious and evidence-based strategy with regard to the prevention of cardiovascular disease in individuals is early detection and treatment of hypertension, including lifestyle modifications, while salt reduction strategies of society will reduce the average blood pressure levels of the population, which will mean that fewer people develop hypertension, need treatment and become ill. Adding additional salt to food is unlikely to be harmful and could contribute to strategies to lower blood pressure levels in the population.”
A strength of the Qi study is the large number of people included, more than 500,000.
It also has some limitations, including: the possibility that adding salt to food is an indication of an unhealthy lifestyle and lower socioeconomic status, although the analyzes tried to adjust for this; there was no information on the amount of salt added; adding salt may be related to total energy intake and intertwined with intake of other foods; participation in the UK Biobank it is voluntary and, therefore, the results are not representative of the general population, so more studies are needed to confirm the results in other populations.