Increasing salt content in food and the risk of early death

Researchers from Tulane University in Louisiana published their findings in the peer-reviewed European Heart Journal.

According to a study released in July, individuals who add more salt to their food are more likely to pass away before their time.They found that frequently salting food is linked to a shorter life expectancy and early death from conditions like cardiovascular disease, stroke, coronary heart disease, or cancer.

The purpose of the study was to determine whether frequent salting of food has an effect on mortality and life expectancy. The researchers said that they discovered 18,474 recorded premature deaths.

According to Dr. Lu Qi, a professor at Tulane University’s School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and the center’s director for obesity research, the frequency with which people salt their meals is a distinctive behaviour variable to assess.

According to Drew Hays, a registered dietitian and assistant professor in the department of nutritional sciences at the University of Texas at Austin who wasn’t involved in the study, the article is attempting to link the addition of salt to foods with premature death, which could easily be misinterpreted by non-scientists.

“I think really, the findings are simply people that are using more salt on their food, they may likely have a higher BMI, they may likely have a less healthier lifestyle, and those things are more directly linked to premature mortality mortality, as opposed to putting salt on your food,” she said.

Study also showed an intriguing potassium-related result: due to the potassium that fruits and vegetables contain, risks were marginally lower in those who consumed the most of these foods.

The paucity of data on the amount of salt added to food is one of the study’s many flaws. The results are not representative of the overall population because UK Biobank is voluntary, the researchers pointed out.

Another drawback, according to Qi, the study’s lead author, is that the results are self-reported.

Clinical studies should produce more persuasive data, according to him, as they may offer superior proof to support any scientific and medical conclusions. Clinical trials will be required in the future to validate and corroborate the findings.