What is the link between long-term salt use behavior and the risk of premature death?

In a recent study published in European Heart JournalResearchers evaluated the effect of increased salt consumption on life expectancy.

Background

The effects of dietary salt intake on human health have always been debated. Recent studies have shown that sodium intake is inversely correlated with the risk of death from all causes and therefore positively correlated with healthy life expectancy in 181 countries around the world. Previous studies, on the other hand, found contradictory results showing a negative link between sodium intake and mortality risk.

About research

In this study, researchers evaluated the correlation between the number of times a person salted food and the risk of premature death.

In a population-based study called the UK Biobank Study, the team recruited more than 500,000 individuals from 22 rating centers in England, Scotland and Wales between 2006 and 2010. Based on the availability of complete data, 501,379 people were qualified as main. analysis.

Participants answered the questionnaire at baseline and asked if they had added salt to the food. Individuals need to answer a question by choosing one of five options: (1) none / almost none, (2) sometimes (3) usually, (4) always, (5) prefer not to answer. was. Participants were also asked if they had changed their diet in the last five years and were answered by choosing one of the five options: (1) No, (2) Yes for illness, ( 3) Yes, for other reasons, and (4) prefer not to answer.

The team also obtained urine samples from participants at baseline. The levels of potassium and sodium present in the sample were detected using the ion-selective electrode method. The team then logarithmically converted the concentrations of potassium and sodium in the urine to normalize the data distribution. In addition, 24-hour sodium excretion was assessed based on urinary levels using the gender-specific INTERSALT equation.

Eligible participants were also required to complete a 24-hour meal recall under the Oxford WebQ from 2009 to 2012, with over 200 foods and 30 drinks over the last 24 hours. I asked about having consumed. Nearly 189,266 participants had complete data on the number of times food was salted, dietary information, and realistic total energy intake.

The team obtains data related to death and death dates and calculates the number of years of people at risk from the start of the study to the end of the follow-up period, the date of death, or February 14, 2018, whichever comes first. did. The mortality rate that occurred 75 years ago was called premature. In addition, the team estimates life expectancy for qualified participants based on (1) gender and age-specific population mortality rates obtained from the National Bureau of Statistics, and (2) gender-specific risk rates (HR). I created a table. ) All-cause mortality in each group identified as the frequency of salt addition to the food compared to the reference cohort, and (3) the prevalence of each gender based on the frequency of salt addition to the food.

result

The results of the study showed that participants who frequently salted foods were more likely to be non-white men and had a higher body mass index (BMI). Participants who added salt more frequently were also more likely to suffer from cardiovascular disease and diabetes, but less likely to suffer from hypertension and chronic kidney disease (CKD).

The team observed a gradual association between high frequency of salting foods and high urinary sodium levels. Participants who never / rarely, sometimes, usually, and always salt their food, had logarithmic urinary sodium concentrations of 1.86, 1.90, 1.92, and 1.94 mmol / L, respectively. On the other hand, there was an inverse correlation between the frequency of salt addition and the urinary potassium concentration. In addition, the team found a substantial positive correlation between the frequency of salt added to food and the assessed 24-hour sodium excretion.

Of the participants who never / rarely, sometimes, usually, and always salt their food, the HR of premature death from all causes was 1, 1.02, 1.07, and 1.28, respectively. For causal mortality, the high frequency of salt added to food was significantly associated with an increased risk of cancer mortality and cardiovascular mortality, but for respiratory and dementia mortality. No such association was observed.

The team also noted that a 50-year-old woman who self-reported that she was constantly salting her food had a life expectancy of about 1.50 years shorter. Men who constantly added salt had a life expectancy of 2.28 years shorter than men who added little or no salt to their food.

Overall, research results show that the more salt you add to your food, the greater the reduction in premature mortality and life expectancy from all causes.