Cutting back on salt 'saves lives'

Cutting back on the amount of salt eaten could reduce a person's chances of developing cardiovascular disease by a quarter, according to a new report.

Scientists have also discovered that reducing the amount of salt consumed could lower the risk of death from cardiovascular diseases by up to a fifth.

The research provides some of the strongest objective evidence to date that lowering the amount of salt eaten reduces the long-term risk of future cardiovascular disease, according to the report's authors.

Researchers who carried out the study, published on the British Medical Journal's website, followed up participants from two trials completed in the 1990s staged to analyse the effect that reducing salt in the diet had on blood pressure.

All of the people studied by the US team from Boston had high-normal blood pressure - pre-hypertension - and were therefore at greater risk of developing conditions like a stroke or heart disease.

Scientists examined 744 people in the first study in 1990 and 2,382 in the second, which ended in 1995.

In both trials participants reduced their sodium intake by 25%-35% alongside a control group who did not cut back on their intake.

Detailed information about cardiovascular and other health problems was collected from the people taking part in the trials.

Researchers found that participants who had cut back on salt during the study tended to stick to a lower salt diet compared to the control group.

In total, the scientists collected information from 77% (2,415) of the participants, 200 of whom had reported some sort of cardiovascular problem.

The results showed these pre-hypertensive individuals were 25% less likely to develop cardiovascular problems over the course of 10 to 15 years following the trial. There was also a 20% lower mortality rate.

At present, the average salt consumption in the UK is around 9g per day, far higher than the recommended maximum of 6g.

Professor Graham MacGregor, chairman of the health campaign group Consensus Action on Salt, welcomed the research.

He said: "This is a very important study because for the first time it shows that reducing salt intake does reduce the number of people suffering and dying from strokes and heart attacks, the biggest causes of death and disability in the UK.

"Previous studies have predicted that reducing salt intake by 6g a day will reduce the number of heart attack and strokes by approximately 70,000 events (35,000 deaths) a year in the UK alone, and this new research confirms these results."

He added: "As 80% of our salt intake comes from salt already added by the food industry, this research provides compelling evidence for why the food industry should lower the salt content of their products.

"If they do this they can help prevent thousands of unnecessary heart attacks and strokes from happening."

Ellen Mason, a cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said: "Salt intake amongst many adults and children in Britain is way too high.

"Salt can cause high blood pressure, which is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease - so we've all got to become detectives on the trail of this hidden killer.

"This study offers further observational evidence of strokes and heart attacks being linked to high salt intake.

"Many people could lower the level of salt in their diet by reducing the amount of processed food they eat.

"Also, by simply checking the labels and switching to a lower salt option, you'll be doing your heart a favour."

Andrea Lane, from The Stroke Association, said: "High blood pressure is the single biggest risk factor for stroke, which is the third biggest cause of death and the leading cause of adult disability.

"Too much salt in the diet can lead to high blood pressure. Most of the salt in our diet is hidden in everyday food such as bread, so not adding salt during cooking or at the table is one of the simplest things you can do to reduce your risk of stroke."

Copyright Press Association 2007.

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