High Salt Intake Could Lead To Early Death : Researchers

Eating foods that are high in salt is known to contribute to high blood pressure ; and now, new findings has  shown that it is linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease and death. According to a new study published in the ‘International Journal of Epidemiology,’ there is a direct linear relationship between increased sodium chloride (salt) intake and increased risk of death.
Researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston (BWH), United States (US) and their colleagues carried out the study. Too much sodium consumption can increase blood pressure and cause the body to hold onto fluid. On its part, high blood pressure (hypertension) is a major risk factor for heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular problems.
Cardiovascular disease generally refers to conditions that involve narrowed or blocked blood vessels that can lead to a heart attack, chest pain (angina) or stroke. Other heart conditions, such as those that affect the muscles of the heart, valves or rhythm, also are considered forms of heart disease.

Previous studies shows that high salt intake increases blood pressure, which could lead to heart disease, while high potassium intake could help relax blood vessels and excrete the sodium and decrease blood pressure. Although, it is hard to measure how much sodium a person has consumed, a biostatistician in the Department of Medicine at BWH. Nancy Cook, ScD, said the study team used multiple measures to get a more accurate picture of participants salt intake.

Sodium intake can be measured using a spot test to determine how much salt has been excreted in a person’s urine sample. However, sodium levels in urine can fluctuate throughout the day so an accurate measure of a person’s sodium intake on a given day requires a full 24-hour sample.
In addition, sodium consumption may change from day to day, meaning that the best way to get a full picture of sodium intake is to take samples on multiple days, the ‘science daily’ reported. According to the report, “The gold-standard method showed a direct linear relationship between increased sodium intake and increased risk of death.”
Similarly, “The team found that the Kawasaki formula suggested a J-shaped curve, which would imply that both low levels and high levels of sodium consumption were associated with increased mortality.”

Categories: Food And Nutrition