Teaspoon a day could save your life

25^th November 2009 - Cutting how much salt we have by a single teaspoon a day could save around four million lives, according to researchers.

They suggest three million deaths from heart disease and a million from stroke could be avoided by this simple measure.

Researchers from the UK and Italy reviewed 13 studies involving more than 170,000 people and found a direct link between salt and the risk of heart disease or stroke.

Salt is known to raise blood pressure levels which can lead to both conditions.

5g reduction is all it takes

The systematic review, published online in the British Medical Journal, found that people who regularly had 5g of salt a day more than the recommended intake had a 23% greater risk of a stroke and 17% greater chance of developing heart disease.

The collaborative research was conducted by Professor Pasquale Strazzullo at the University of Naples, Italy and Professor Francesco Cappuccio at the University of Warwick.

The authors say the habitual salt intake in most Western countries is close to 10g a day and they calculated that a reduction of 5g a day would bring consumption close to the World Health Organisation recommended level of 5g a day.

They went on to state: “Given that the case fatality rate for stroke is estimated at one in three and those for heart disease one in five, a 23% reduction in the rate of stroke and a 17% overall reduction in the rate of cardiovascular disease could avert some one and a quarter million deaths from stroke and almost three million from heart disease each year.”

Industry profits from the ‘white stuff’

Professor Francesco Cappuccio says he isn’t surprised by the results, but he thinks some ordinary people may be. He says “It shows a definite link between salt and blood pressure, and the health problems it brings.”

He adds, “There’s a lot of profit in the white stuff within the food industry,” and he believes the industry should take on board the health problems that are linked to salt and produce low-salt alternatives.

Professor Cappuccio even believes the figure of four million lives potentially saved could be an underestimate.

What the experts think

Victoria Taylor, Senior Heart Health Dietician for the British Heart Foundation says, “This study reinforces the link between high intakes of salt and high blood pressure, which is an important risk factor for heart disease and stroke.

“Although it’s a good idea to avoid adding salt during cooking or at the table, much of the salt we eat is already in the foods we buy, even every day foods like bread and cereals,” She explained.

“As it’s not always obvious where the salt is in your diet, it’s really important to check and compare food labels, so you can choose the options with the least salt in them.”

Joanne Murphy from The Stroke Association says, “Over 40% of strokes could be prevented if people with high blood pressure reduced it through treatment and cutting down on their salt intake. The Stroke Association is calling for consistent labelling on food packaging so people are more aware of how much salt already exists in the food that they are buying.”