If the food industry had achieved the 2024 targets, average adult salt intake would have decreased from 6.1g a day to 4.9g a day, a reduction of around 17.5% (1.12 g/day). Men were estimated to see slightly greater reductions than women because they typically consume more salt.
Overall, the study estimates this would lower the top blood pressure number (the pressure in the arteries when the heart beats) by about one point in women and just over one point in men. Although the reduction in blood pressure for each individual is small, across millions of people it adds up to a large reduction in disease.
As a result, these modest reductions in daily salt intake would translate into substantial population-level health benefits. Over a 20-year period, the modelling suggests:
* 103,000 fewer cases of ischaemic heart disease
* 25,000 fewer strokes
* 243,000 additional quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) gained
* £1.0 billion in healthcare savings for the NHS over the population’s lifetime
How is 1.12g/day a 17.5% reduction? Isn’t the daily recommended dose 2g, and the current consumption at around 2.5g-3g?
haloimplant on
had to do some math, did it on strokes since they are easy to quantify. 100k strokes per year in UK, 2M in 20 years. a 25k reduction is 1.25%
i like to rephrase these things: a lifetime of bland food for a 98.75% chance you stroke out just the same
ontrack on
But there’s a balance, no? Like if you are in a very hot environment you have to make sure you get enough salt. Hyponatremia is a thing.
m0llusk on
Reactions to salt vary greatly, with metabolic syndrome being a huge issue. When dealing with averages as this paper does the results make sense, but people in great shape with no metabolic syndrome, however rare, react to dietary salt in a very different way from the large percentage of the population who are diabetic or prediabetic.
Zilreth on
Salt is not an issue, just drink water. They say this reduction would likely drop your blood pressure by 1 or 2 basis points which is functionally negligible. I doubt it would significantly impact total stroke numbers, and those that it did “prevent” would be likely to happen in the near future anyway if the difference we are talking about is so miniscule. Eat your salt, taste your food, be active, and watch your calories. If you ate one healthy meal instead of overprocessed crap each week it would be massively more beneficial than this. Sodium intake is a scapegoat for other factors with orders of magnitude greater impact.
gentlemantroglodyte on
Easy enough to use salt substitutes too.
Oooaaaaarrrrr on
Food manufacturers are still adding too much sugar and salt
No-Cicada-4651 on
I have started drinking LMNT electrolyte packets and they have 1000 mg of sodium.
I was concerned that amount was really high in addition to my daily salt intake from food.
If you do reduce your salt quite a bit make sure you have another source for iodine
jaiagreen on
If they measure your blood pressure when you see a doctor, you can just reduce salt if there’s a problem. This isn’t something that builds up over time.
costoaway1 on
I bet *increasing* overall potassium would make a much larger difference.
dethskwirl on
Everyone is different. My blood pressure is so low that my doctor actually tells me to eat more salt. Dietary advice should always be considered on an individual basis
mvw2 on
Why?
Salt is regulated by the body, and the body can handle dealing with a very significant amount of salt just as long as you can also hydrate.
Now I could see wide swings in intake. The body does favor more consistency, and a lot of variation, not just salt, could cause temporary process fluctuations. You also need enough corrective nutrients to counter imbalances, both to feed conversion steps but also to counter long term poisoning. Even water and oxygen can kill you. Salts are fundamental. It’s absolutely necessary for body function, including neurological functions. A lack of salts can cause major health issues too. We’re built to taste salt for a reason.
bmwlocoAirCooled on
READ the labels kids. If salt is top of the list, or mid pack, put it back.
Same with Sugar.
underconstruction95 on
I see many people who are very sodium sensitive who are also drastically under consuming potassium. A healthy ratio of potassium to sodium intake along with proper hydration can definitely help manage water retention and blood pressure. In a nutshell most people’s diets consist of too much salt and not enough potassium.
Kracus on
I never put salt on anything cause everything I eat already has salt in it anyway.
vm_linuz on
I stopped adding salt to like 95% of my cooking years ago.
Often you’re already using ingredients that contain salt.
But sometimes a little salt goes a long way.
I definitely feel better without all that salt. Now if only beer was that easy to cut…
18 Comments
If the food industry had achieved the 2024 targets, average adult salt intake would have decreased from 6.1g a day to 4.9g a day, a reduction of around 17.5% (1.12 g/day). Men were estimated to see slightly greater reductions than women because they typically consume more salt.
Overall, the study estimates this would lower the top blood pressure number (the pressure in the arteries when the heart beats) by about one point in women and just over one point in men. Although the reduction in blood pressure for each individual is small, across millions of people it adds up to a large reduction in disease.
As a result, these modest reductions in daily salt intake would translate into substantial population-level health benefits. Over a 20-year period, the modelling suggests:
* 103,000 fewer cases of ischaemic heart disease
* 25,000 fewer strokes
* 243,000 additional quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) gained
* £1.0 billion in healthcare savings for the NHS over the population’s lifetime
[Estimating the Potential Impact of the 2024 UK Salt Reduction Targets on Cardiovascular Health Outcomes and Health Care Costs in Adults: A Modeling Study | Hypertension](https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.125.25159)
How is 1.12g/day a 17.5% reduction? Isn’t the daily recommended dose 2g, and the current consumption at around 2.5g-3g?
had to do some math, did it on strokes since they are easy to quantify. 100k strokes per year in UK, 2M in 20 years. a 25k reduction is 1.25%
i like to rephrase these things: a lifetime of bland food for a 98.75% chance you stroke out just the same
But there’s a balance, no? Like if you are in a very hot environment you have to make sure you get enough salt. Hyponatremia is a thing.
Reactions to salt vary greatly, with metabolic syndrome being a huge issue. When dealing with averages as this paper does the results make sense, but people in great shape with no metabolic syndrome, however rare, react to dietary salt in a very different way from the large percentage of the population who are diabetic or prediabetic.
Salt is not an issue, just drink water. They say this reduction would likely drop your blood pressure by 1 or 2 basis points which is functionally negligible. I doubt it would significantly impact total stroke numbers, and those that it did “prevent” would be likely to happen in the near future anyway if the difference we are talking about is so miniscule. Eat your salt, taste your food, be active, and watch your calories. If you ate one healthy meal instead of overprocessed crap each week it would be massively more beneficial than this. Sodium intake is a scapegoat for other factors with orders of magnitude greater impact.
Easy enough to use salt substitutes too.
Food manufacturers are still adding too much sugar and salt
I have started drinking LMNT electrolyte packets and they have 1000 mg of sodium.
I was concerned that amount was really high in addition to my daily salt intake from food.
They have a very good article on their website.
https://science.drinklmnt.com/electrolytes/is-sodium-good-or-bad
If you do reduce your salt quite a bit make sure you have another source for iodine
If they measure your blood pressure when you see a doctor, you can just reduce salt if there’s a problem. This isn’t something that builds up over time.
I bet *increasing* overall potassium would make a much larger difference.
Everyone is different. My blood pressure is so low that my doctor actually tells me to eat more salt. Dietary advice should always be considered on an individual basis
Why?
Salt is regulated by the body, and the body can handle dealing with a very significant amount of salt just as long as you can also hydrate.
Now I could see wide swings in intake. The body does favor more consistency, and a lot of variation, not just salt, could cause temporary process fluctuations. You also need enough corrective nutrients to counter imbalances, both to feed conversion steps but also to counter long term poisoning. Even water and oxygen can kill you. Salts are fundamental. It’s absolutely necessary for body function, including neurological functions. A lack of salts can cause major health issues too. We’re built to taste salt for a reason.
READ the labels kids. If salt is top of the list, or mid pack, put it back.
Same with Sugar.
I see many people who are very sodium sensitive who are also drastically under consuming potassium. A healthy ratio of potassium to sodium intake along with proper hydration can definitely help manage water retention and blood pressure. In a nutshell most people’s diets consist of too much salt and not enough potassium.
I never put salt on anything cause everything I eat already has salt in it anyway.
I stopped adding salt to like 95% of my cooking years ago.
Often you’re already using ingredients that contain salt.
But sometimes a little salt goes a long way.
I definitely feel better without all that salt. Now if only beer was that easy to cut…