A one-third reduction of salt reduces the risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke by 25 per cent Experts are calling for further reductions of salt in our diets as researchers find a link between salt consumption and cardiovascular disease. Erin Goldenreports
For years, doctors and dietitians have warned that our diets include too much salt - and that with each bite of steak, pasta or even breakfast cereal, we take our chances with high blood pressure and a host of serious medical conditions.
But for the first time, medical researchers have found a clear link between salt consumption and cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in Ireland.
In a study released this week by the British Medical Journal, researchers concluded that a one-third reduction in the amount of salt in a person's diet reduces their risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke by a full 25 per cent.
According to Prof Eoin O'Brien, president of the Irish Heart Foundation (IHF), the study's findings are particularly noteworthy in a country where half of all adults suffer from high blood pressure and most of us eat far more salt than recommended.
"We're eating twice as much salt as we need," he says.
"People are beginning to open their eyes to the problem, but it can't happen quickly enough because we are faced with an epidemic of strokes and heart attacks."
It's an epidemic that University College Cork (UCC) public health professor and salt intake expert Dr Ivan Perry says could be easily slowed with simple changes in our daily diet.
"A small reduction in blood pressure across the Irish population, which could be achieved by a reduction in salt consumption by a half teaspoon [ 3g] per day, would reduce the incidence of stroke by 13 per cent and the incidence of coronary heart disease by 10 per cent," he says.
"It would prevent approximately 900 deaths each year," he says.
But in an increasingly fast-paced society where salt-laden ready-to-eat meals and pre-packaged snacks have become the basis of many diets, convenience often triumphs over health consciousness.
Although our bodies require a certain amount of salt to function properly, Irish adults eat an average of 10g of salt each day, well above the Food Safety Authority of Ireland's (FSAI) recommended allowance of 6g.
And while 75-80 per cent of that salt comes from processed foods, some of it is found in foods we might assume to be healthy.
"People need to look at the salt content of processed foods and junk foods, but also foods that we might never think of as being high in salt - things like Cornflakes, bread and biscuits," O'Brien says.
Margot Brennan, a spokeswoman for the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute, says people are often unaware of the high levels of salt found in breads and other baked goods.
"The largest contributors of salt are meat and fish, which account for approximately 30 per cent of our daily intake, but breads are second with 26 per cent," she says.
Identifying - and removing - the salt from unexpected places has recently become a major effort between organisations such as the FSAI and the food industry.
Several food producers and retailers have committed to lowering the salt levels of their products by changing their formulas and ingredient lists.
Perry, who has carried out extensive research on the links between salt and health problems, says the co-operation of food producers is essential if Ireland hopes to dramatically lower its salt intake.
"Because most of the salt we get is already added to the food before we buy it, we need to continue working with the food sector," he says.
"Increasingly, we need to sort of engineer health outcomes - we need to have a food chain where health is actually designed into the system."
And while overall salt levels in many processed foods have been reduced over the past few years, FSAI chief food science specialist Dr Wayne Anderson says that consumers cannot count on industry adjustments to change their health. Sometimes, he says, food intake needs to be reduced or certain foods cut out of a diet altogether.
"People should come across less of it in their diet, but if we're going to get down to 6g per day, we're probably looking toward some kind of dietary change as well," he says.
Anderson suggests checking the nutrition labels of all food purchases and opting for a lower-sodium alternative when possible.
Other experts, including Brennan, say that consumers should try to avoid processed foods as much as possible, as well as canned or packaged soups and ready-made meals that are often high in salt.
And often, the most important solutions are the easiest - like taking the salt off the dinner table.
"We're adding salt to our food at the table, which is quite unnecessary," says O'Brien. "We need awareness in our cooking and at the table - to become critical about the salt content of our food."
Cutting back on salt in home-made foods can also put children on the right track.
"The taste for salt is very much an acquired one," he says. "If they aren't brought up to add salt to food, they won't acquire the habit."
Experts say that replacing high-salt foods with fruits and vegetables, which themselves contribute to lower blood pressure, is a particularly good option.
And while old habits die hard, Brennan says that shifting our salt intake just requires a bit of patience and a little time.
"It's a bit like giving up sugar for Lent," she says.
"Your taste buds adapt in about six weeks and you won't miss it."
Ways To Cut Down
Learn to read your nutrition labels: According to dietitian Margot Brennan, we should multiply the sodium content of foods by 2.5 per cent for the comparable amount of salt.
Cook from fresh: When possible, avoid processed foods and packaged, ready-to-eat meals and snacks or choose a low-sodium option. Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. They are high in potassium and contribute to lower blood pressure.
Know your numbers: blood pressure, cholesterol and weight, and your goal numbers for all the same measures.
Table manners: Take the salt off the table and don't absent-mindedly add it to your cooking. Let your tastebuds adjust to a lower-salt diet.