Salt, a new sugar: science is clearer every day that its excessive consumption is a big problem

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Salt, a new sugar: science is clearer every day that its excessive consumption is a big problem
salt, a new sugar: science is clearer every day that

Salt has been in the spotlight of doctors, nutritionists and health researchers for many years. Deservedly, by the way. Especially since it has been shown (actively and passively) to reduce salt intake is one of the simplest and most cost-effective ways to reduce the incidence of diseases such as high blood pressure, coronary heart disease or stroke.

And yet, we still have a lot to investigate.

A custom that costs years of life. For example, and despite being one of the social practices most linked to salt consumption, the relationship between adding salt to food and premature death had never been studied. Now a group of researchers from the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans has done it, and the results are quite worrying.

The problem of knowing how much salt we consume Using the very comprehensive database of the UK Biobank in the United Kingdom, the researchers have been able to study half a million Britons for six years. Salt intake is difficult to control, really. To give us an idea: according to available surveys, approximately 70% of the salt consumed by Western populations comes from processed foods and around 20% comes from the salt that is added at the table.

That 70% is not easy to measure at an individual level (that’s why it’s called ‘hidden salt’) and even biometric tests (such as urine tests) are not very accurate when it comes to determining consumption. However, the 500,000 study participants have been filling out regular questionnaires since 2006 about whether or not they add salt to food. This data (with all the exceptions that a study based on surveys has) allows us to approximate that remaining 20%.

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The years we stopped living. And what researchers have found is that once we discount the effect of other factors — such as age, ethnicity, body mass index, smoking, alcohol use, physical activity, diet, and certain medical conditions specific medical conditions) adding salt to table foods is associated with a reduction in life expectancy of more than two years in men and about a year and a half for women.

beyond the salt. It’s important to keep in mind, the researchers explain, that it’s not just about salt. In fact, there’s a good deal of evidence that high salt intake is an indicator of a generally less healthy lifestyle. Still, the data is quite impressive, and as study coordinator Lu Qi says, “Even a modest reduction in sodium intake, by adding less or no salt to foods at the table, is likely to lead to substantial health benefits.” health, especially in the general population.

The big salt problem. The problem is that reducing salt intake is very difficult. We must remember that the Barcelona team of Dr. Isabel Roig has been warning for years that awareness campaigns have very little effect and regardless of the knowledge that consumers have, the final consumption of salt is very homogeneous in the population.

The regulatory path seems the most effective, yes. But this type of study shows that there is a part linked to individual action that cannot be ignored. It cannot be ignored, but we have been doing it for a long time.

Image | emmy smith