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Reducing salt intake 'would cut cancer'

24 July 2012

A study from the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) has claimed that cutting back on salty foods can reduce the risk of developing stomach cancer.

It stated that 1 in 7 stomach cancers could be prevented if people stayed within salt intake guidelines, though Cancer Research UK said this figure could be even higher!

Kate Mendoza, head of health information at WCRF, said: "Stomach cancer is difficult to treat successfully because most cases are not caught until the disease is well-established.

"This places even greater emphasis on making lifestyle choices to prevent the disease occurring in the first place - such as cutting down on salt intake and eating more fruit and vegetables."

Labelling

The WCRF also called for a wider adoption of the 'traffic light' system for food labeling, which would make it easy for the consumer to identify products high in salt, they claim.

As much as 80% of salt we eat is already in the food we buy, so clear labeling and cooking from scratch would allow us to keep an eye on the salt we are consuming.

Start at home by making healthier lifestyle choices such as using LoSalt instead of regular salts to flavour your food.