Salt Reduction in Processed Foods Could Save Lives, Money

By reducing salt in processed foods could prevent strokes and heart attacks and also save billions of dollars in medical costs, a new study has found.

According to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, the U.S. food service industry should make a voluntary effort to reduce salt.

Cutting Back on Salt Is a Necessity for Some, Not All
One side says everyone needs to cut back on salt to reduce heart disease risk. The other side says universal salt reduction would be a needless deprivation for many people.

In the study, the researchers developed a computerized model that simulates the effects of reduced sodium intake on a large population of people between the ages of 40 and 85.

Based on a similar, salt-reduction campaign in the United Kingdom, the researchers estimated that a collaborative industry effort could lead to a 9.5 percent decline in Americans' salt intake.

That, in turn, would lead to a very modest decline in blood pressure among American consumers, minimizing a major risk factor for cardiovascular problems.

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"In our analysis, we found these small decreases in blood pressure would be effective in reducing deaths due to cardiovascular disease," Crystal Smith-Spangler, MD, a postdoctoral scholar at the VA and first author of the study, said.

"The numbers of affected people are huge, so even a small decrease is significant if you have large numbers of people involved," Smith-Spangler said.

'Restrictions Imposed on Sale of Edible Common Salt'
Restrictions have been imposed with effect from May 17 this year on the sale of edible common salt for direct human consumption unless it is iodised, Government said today.

By the researchers' calculations, some 513,885 Americans would be spared from potentially fatal strokes in their lifetimes, and another 480,358 would not suffer heart attacks as a result of the reduced salt campaign.

In the study, the researchers relied on data from a variety of sources, including the Framingham Heart Study and the 2006 Medical Panel Expenditure Survey, to develop a hypothetical model of health benefits and costs of two different methods to reduce salt intake on a large scale.

100,000 Lives can be Saved by Using Half a Teaspoon Less Salt Everyday
A new study has claimed that half a teaspoon reduction in the consumption of salt every day could save 100,000 lives.

The findings are published in the March 2 Annals of Internal Medicine.

Source-ANI
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