Home »   Print

A little less salt in the diet could reduce deaths, heart disease, heart attacks, and stroke. As well as save $10 to $24 billion in annual health care costs


The study estimates 44,000 fewer deaths from all causes would occur if a three gram per day salt reduction occurred in the U.S. for one year. With a three gram per day salt reduction, the study estimates annual heart attack cases would decline by 60,000. Similarly, the number of stroke cases is estimated to decline by 32,000 a year and the number of heart attacks is projected to decrease by 54,000 in a 12-month period. Three grams equal less than a teaspoon of salt. 
 
Based on the study a reduction of just one gram (or a brief shake of an ungenerous salt dispenser) would result in significant health benefits. In one of the study's  it was found that, less salt intake could reduce heart disease, stroke, and heart attacks. Almost as much as smoking cessation, a decrease in obesity, and healthier cholesterol levels. 
 
The study uses a model that assesses previous research and estimates the benefits of salt reduction to lower blood pressure. The impact of lower blood pressure is then projected onto rates of heart disease, stroke, and heart attacks. 
 
While the authors conclude all patients will benefit from less salt, they add the health of persons after age 65, those with hypertension, and African Americans should improve the most. 
An editorial comment said: 'a public health intervention designed to reduce dietary salt intake ... can have huge benefits. 
 
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), provides some tips on how we can assist reducing the salt consumption:
 
·         Use fresh poultry, fish, and lean meat
 
·         Try herbs, spices, and salt free seasoning blends in cooking and at the table
 
·         Cook rice, pasta, and hot cereals without salt 
 
·         Reduce our use of rice, pasta, and cereal mixes with added salt
 
·          Pick convenience foods that are lower in salt
 
·          Rinse canned food, such as tuna, to remove some salt.
 
·          Buy vegetables with no salt added
 
The ideal salt intake is less than a teaspoon of salt per day. Although salt reduction is not a new topic in public health or medicine, the New England Journal of Medicine study is one of the first to estimate a range of impressive, therapeutic benefits if patients ate less salt. It will be interesting to see if salt reduction becomes a more prominent public health issue.
 
REFERENCE:

The study link:
 
For more information about sodium and blood pressure: