When you grab the shaker and sprinkle some salt on top of your food, you might think that you’re simply adding a little extra flavor to your food. However, it turns out that you might as well be subtracting years from your lifeaccording to new findings.
In a study recently published by the european journal of the heart, the diets of more than 500,000 people were considered and compared. When the study leaders looked at who died before the age of 75, they found that people who added salt to their food increased their risk of premature death by 28% compared to those who didn’t eat extra salt.
Beyond that, men who were 50 years old and added salt to their food shortened their lives by an average of 1.5 years, while women of the same age who ate more salt shortened their lives by about 2.28 years.
“Our study provides supporting evidence from a novel perspective to show the adverse effects of high sodium intake on human health, which remains a controversial topic,” said lead author, Lu Qi, M.D.Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, said Medscape Cardiology. “Our findings support the advice that reducing salt intake by reducing salt added to foods can benefit health and improve life expectancy.”
“This study underscores the importance of sodium and potassium balance in the diet,” Amanda Lane, MS, RD, CDCESfounder of Healthy Lane Nutrition confirm. “Many people who consume a western diet consuming too much sodium and too little potassium. A prolonged imbalance of these electrolytes can lead to increased blood pressure that can cause damage to the heart, eyes, brain and kidneys.”
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Lane also points out that “multiple guidelines,” such as the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the Mediterranean diet—”I recommend limiting sodium to 2,300 milligrams or one teaspoon per day of table salt.”
If you want to reduce the amount of salt in your diet, Lane points out that sodium is often found in processed foodswhich is why “aiming to choose less processed options may help limit overall salt intake.”
Additionally, Lane suggests acid to replace salt, saying, “Using different sources of acid like apple cider vinegar, rice wine vinegar, and citrus can add great sources of flavor without adding salt.”
Desiree O
Desirée O is a freelance writer who covers lifestyle, food and nutrition news, among other topics. read more
