A 10% reduction in salt intake could save millions of lives, according to a study published Wednesday in the medical journal The BMJ.
Salt is important for the body. It provides sodium (400 mg per 1 g), a mineral that helps distribute water well in the body and regulate pressure and blood volume. “It is also essential for the development of muscles, the flow of nerve impulses and the proper functioning of the heart. “, recently explained the French Federation of Cardiology (FFC).
However, its excessive consumption has harmful effects on health. It can increase blood pressure and the risk of stroke. It also helps to increase the risk of water retention or osteoporosis.
The daily salt intake recommended by the WHO is therefore less than 6 g, but consumption often reaches and exceeds 10 g per adult. Faced with these risks, researchers have just proposed reducing our salt consumption.
These teams from Boston University (United States) estimate that a 10% reduction in salt consumption could save millions of lives. In this study published Wednesday in the journal The British Medical Journal (BMJ), they calculated that government campaigns could curb the high mortality associated with excessive salt consumption for as little as $ 0.10 per person.
These scientists also recall that most adults exceed the recommended salt intake, leading to some 1.65 million deaths from heart disease, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
A very profitable strategy
This group of researchers led by Dariush Mozaffarian calculated this cost for 183 countries in coordination with industrialists. Researchers also estimated that 5.8 million years of unhealthy life could have been avoided by reducing salt intake by 10% over ten years. At a cost of $ 1.13 per person. “The cost of years saved is roughly equivalent to what is currently spent on drugs to prevent cardiovascular disease. “, specify the researchers. This strategy of reducing salt consumption is therefore qualified by the team as “very profitable”. A win-win public health agreement, according to them.
“National salt reduction programs that combine industry goals and public education are the best choice for governments and policy makers,” said Dariush Mozaffaria. “We have found that a national plan supported by the government to reduce salt would be beneficial in almost every country in the world, ”adds lead author Prof. Michael Webb of Stanford University. “We assumed that the costs of this strategy were much higher and the benefits weaker,” he concludes.
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