Spare the Salt and Elude the Stroke

It’s generally accepted by the medical community that too much salt in your diet is bad for you. International recommendations suggest that average population salt intake should be less than 5-6 grams per day. However, most adult populations have average daily intakes above 6 grams, and many people in Eastern Europe and Asia have daily intakes above 12 grams.  The cardiovascular risks imposed by too much salt have been quantified in a meta-analysis reported this month in the British Medical Journal. 

The meta-analysis covered virtually all published studies between 1966 and 2008.  To qualify for inclusion in the analysis, studies had to be prospective, and include baseline salt intake, stroke or total cardiovascular disease assessments, and a follow-up of at least 3 years.

Thirteen studies met the criteria; they covered 177,000 individual participants, with an follow-up period ranging from 3.5 to 19 years.  Pooled results showed that higher salt intake was associated with a greater risk of stroke (1.23 times the risk of stroke for low-salt intake people) and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (1.14 times).

So, if you didn’t know already, taking extra salt is dangerous.  There are various ways to reduce your intake.  Chose foods with a relatively low salt content; don’t add salt in the cooking – you can use other ‘spices’; don’t add salt to the food on your plate unless you really have to; and consider using a salt substitute – e.g. Mrs Dash® or AlsoSalt®.