Can your salt intake have a impact on your risk of premature death ? In the general population, approximately 3 in 100 people aged 40 to 69 die prematurely. And if the causes can be many, one study published on July 10 in the“European Heart Journal suggests that regularly adding salt, apart from seasoning, during the cooking process could reduce life expectancy.
“To my knowledge, our study is the first to assess the relationship between the addition of salt to foods and premature death.”, said Professor Qi of the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine at Tulane University in New Orleans, who led the study. © study. “Even a modest reduction in sodium intake, by adding less or no salt to foods at the table, is likely to result in substantial health benefits, especially when achieved in the general population.”
For approximately 9 years, the study followed 501,379 British participants, who completed a questionnaire to whether they added salt to their food and how often they did it. And while salt intake remains difficult to track – 70% of sodium intake comes from processed and prepared foods – researchers have estimated that 4 to 20 % of this contribution would come from salt added at the table, a relatively substantial figure. “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.”said Professor Qi in a press release.
28% increased risk of dying prematurely
And compared to those who never or rarely added salt, those who tended to do it automatically had a 28% increased risk of dying prematurely, that is, before the age of 75. Sodium indeed increases the risk of diseases such as cancer, high blood pressure or strokes.
The study also showed how salt consumption could affect life expectancy: at age 50, men and women who very regularly added du alone had a shortened life expectancy of 2.28 years (for men) and 1.5 years (for women).
The researchers also adjusted their analyzes to take into account factors that could affect the results, such as age, gender, body mass index (BMI), physical activity or even food. And oddly enough, the risks tended to be somewhat reduced in people who ate the highest amounts of fruits and vegetables. “We weren’t surprised by this finding because fruits and vegetables are major sources of potassium, which has protective effects and is associated with a lower risk of near death. matured“, Professor Qi concluded.
Sources:
- Adding salt to foods and hazard of premature mortality, European Heart JournalJuly 10, 2022
- Adding salt to your food at the table is linked to higher risk of premature death, European Society of CardiologyJuly 10, 2022
Read also:
- Which salt to choose for cooking? Here are 12 varieties of salt and their uses
- Replacing salt with potassium chloride: a false good idea
- How to eat less salt?
