20th April 2007
SIGNIFICANTLY reducing salt intake in the diet could cut the chances of developing heart disease by a quarter, a new study shows.
Researchers also found that cutting the amount of salt on food lowers death rates by up to a fifth.
Previous research has shown that high salt consumption can contribute to high blood pressure, which can lead to heart disease and stroke. But until now, there has been limited evidence of the effect it has on subsequent levels of cardiovascular disease.
The study, published online by the British Medical Journal, provides some of the strongest evidence to date that lowering the amount of salt in the diet reduces the long-term risk of future heart disease.
Associate Professor Nancy Cook and colleagues at the Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, followed up participants from two trials completed in the 1990s which had analysed the effect reducing salt in the diet had on blood pressure.
All the participants had "high normal" blood pressure, which put them at greater risk of developing heart disease.
In both trials, participants reduced their sodium intake by between 25 and 35 per cent, alongside a control group who did not cut back on salt.
The results showed that these pre-hypertensive individuals were 25 per cent less likely to develop cardiovascular problems over the course of the ten to 15 years since the trials were conducted. There was also a 20 per cent lower mortality rate. This risk reduction was evident in each trial.
The recommended daily limit for salt is 6g, about a teaspoonful.
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