Mortality numbers put a humble salt shaker on a hot sheet

More generous use of salt outside of cooking was associated with premature mortality, according to a study of more than 500,000 people, but not in people who eat potassium-rich foods such as vegetables and fruits. There was not.

UK Biobank participants reported how often table salt was used. The more frequently used, the higher the risk of death from all causes at a median follow-up of 9.0 years (P<0.001 for trends) ::

• None: Adjusted HR 1.00 (see)
• Occasionally: Adjusted HR 1.02 (95% CI 0.99-1.06)
• Normal: Adjusted HR 1.07 (95% CI 1.02-1.11)
• Always: Adjusted HR 1.28 (95% CI 1.20-1.35)

LuQi, MD, and PhD, nutrition epidemiologists at the University of Turene in New Orleans and Harvard, found that frequent salt additions to foods were not cardiovascular mortality (ie, coronary heart disease mortality). It was reported to be significantly associated with stroke) and cancer mortality. TH Chan School of Public Health in Boston and his colleagues.

In contrast, neither dementia mortality nor respiratory mortality increased, and table salt usage increased, Qi’s group said. European Heart Journal..

“In particular, previous studies investigating the association between sodium intake and mortality risk produced contradictory results showing a positive linear, J-shaped, or inverse linear association,” the study authors write. I am.

Focusing on the sodium added to the table gives another perspective on the relationship between salt content and clinical outcome.

“Adding salt to foods (usually at the table) is a common eating behavior that is directly related to an individual’s long-term preference for salty foods and habitual salt intake. In fact, in the Western diet, Adding salt at the table accounts for 6-20.% of total salt intake. In addition, commonly used table salt contains 97-99% sodium chloride, including potassium and others. Minimize the effects of potential disruption of dietary factors, “they say.

Indeed, there is an interaction of fruit and vegetable intake, and for people who commonly eat these potassium-rich foods, the relationship between table salt and mortality was no longer important.

“What so far Collective evidence about salt Healthy people who consume what constitutes a normal level of normal salt seem to show that they don’t have to worry too much about them. Salt intake.. Instead, to offset the potentially harmful effects of salt, and for many other reasons, a diet rich in fruits and vegetables should be prioritized not only for individuals, but also for population and level. “The cardiologist Anika Rosengren, MD, writes.Gothenburg University and Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Sweden Ancillary editorial..

“People at high risk of high salt intake are probably advised to reduce it. Not adding salt to already cooked foods is one way to achieve this, but at the individual level. Optimal salt consumption rangeOr the “sweet spot” has not yet been determined, “she added.

This population-based cohort study included 501,379 and all volunteers were recruited to UK Biobank from 2006 to 2010. The average age was 56.5 years and 45.6% were male.

Participants responded to a questionnaire on how often table salt should be added to food, in addition to providing urine samples and a food diary.

Qi et al. Found that the high frequency of salt addition to foods correlates with high spot urinary sodium levels and estimated 24-hour sodium excretion.

There were 18,474 premature deaths recorded during follow-up.

Residual confounding could affect study results, even with statistical adjustments by the author. In addition, the findings are suspicious generalizability to other populations.

“Still, at the population level, there is no reason to be satisfied with salt intake. There is an established link between salt consumption and artificial blood pressure levels,” Rosengren continued.

“Not adding extra salt to food is unlikely to be harmful and may contribute to strategies for lowering blood pressure levels in the population,” she concludes.