Salt Intake Linked to Gastric Cancer Risk
A team of researchers have highlighted a link between excessive salt intake and the risk of gastric cancers.
The meta-analysis of seven previous studies published in Clinical Nutrition, covering 270,000 people, investigated the relationship between habitual salt (sodium chloride) intake and the incidence of gastric cancer.
The study's estimates "indicate that habitual ‘high' and ‘moderately high' salt intake are associated with 68% and 41% greater risk of gastric cancer, respectively, compared with ‘low' salt consumption" explains Professor Pasquale Strazallo, who led the study.
Gastric cancer represents approximately 10% all deaths from cancer, amounting to 870,000 deaths per year worldwide. In the UK, approximately 1690 of the 7,000 deaths from stomach cancer can be attributed to high salt intakes.
Professor Graham MacGregor, Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine and Chairman of CASH/WASH, commented on the importance of this study:
"These two studies provide strong evidence that we need to reduce salt intake around the world, not only because it puts up blood pressure, the major cause of strokes, heart failure and heart attacks, but also due to the fact that it is likely to cause nearly a quarter of all cases of gastric cancer."
This study will put more pressure on the food industry to continue the process of reducing salt (sodium chloride) levels in food. In Western countries, over 80% of salt intake is from processed foods and so consumers may not realise how much salt they are actually eating.
Consequently, average salt consumption in the West is between 10-12g a day, whilst the World Health Organisation recommends 5g a day to control blood pressure and prevent related cardiovascular disease.