Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Do you sprinkle extra salt over your food? You risk 'dying early', warns study

One extra person in every 100 who add salt to their food may die young

Do you sprinkle extra salt over your food? You risk 'dying early', warns study

According to health experts, adding extra salt to your food can increase your risk of heart attack, stroke, and high blood pressure. Research has also found that those who add extra salt to their food at the table are at higher risk of dying early - they have a 28 percent increased risk of dying prematurely in comparison to those who don’t or rarely consume extra salt.

A study that involved more than 500,000 middle-aged Britons, calculated that one extra person in every 100 who add salt to their food may die young, the Mirror reported.


The study published in the European Heart Journal has revealed that at age 50, more than two years of life expectancy was knocked off for men and 1.5 years for women who added salt to their food. The amount of salt added during the cooking process was not included.

Eating too much salt leads to high blood pressure, which can then lead to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke, explains Chloe MacArthur, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation.

Professor Lu Qi of Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans is quoted as saying, "Even a modest reduction in sodium intake, by adding less or no salt to food at the table, is likely to result in substantial health benefits, especially when it is achieved in the general population."

Those joining the study between 2006 and 2010, were asked via a touchscreen questionnaire whether they added salt to their foods and how often they did this. The options they had to choose from included never/rarely, sometimes, usually, or always.

Factors such as sex, age, race, deprivation, body mass index (BMI), alcohol intake, smoking, exercise, diet, and medical conditions such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease were also considered in the study.

With regard to the general population, about three in every 100 people between the age of 40 to 69 die prematurely. However, according to this study, those who prefer adding extra salt to their food reduced more years from their life.

Professor Qi is reported to have said, "In the Western diet, adding salt at the table accounts for 6%-20% of total salt intake and provides a unique way to evaluate the association between habitual sodium intake and the risk of death."

However, it’s important to remember that salt can be present in large amounts in processed foods.

The Guardian reports that roughly 70% of sodium intake in western populations comes from processed and prepared foods, with 8-20% derived from salt that is added at the table.

But there may be some good news, as researchers found that the risk of premature death that is linked to extra salt intake can be curbed amongst those who ate more veggies and fruits.

Prof Qi said, "We were not surprised by this finding as fruits and vegetables are major sources of potassium, which has protective effects and is associated with a lower risk of premature death."

Prof Annika Rosengren, a senior researcher at the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, who was not involved with the research told the Guardian that while some health advice was straightforward, salt cannot be removed from the diet entirely. Therefore, it is hard to pinpoint the “sweet spot” in terms of health for any particular individual.

She is quoted as saying, “So far, what the collective evidence about salt seems to indicate is that healthy people consuming what constitutes normal levels of ordinary salt need not worry too much about their salt intake.”

She added that for this group, counterbalancing salt intake with a diet that contains plenty of fruits and vegetables should be a priority. However, those individuals at high risk of heart disease should probably cut down their salt intake. “Not adding extra salt to already prepared foods is one way of achieving this.”

More For You

Court to review teen's sentence in Bhim Kohli case
Bhim Kohli

Court to review teen's sentence in Bhim Kohli case

THE seven-year prison sentence handed to a 15-year-old boy convicted of the manslaughter of 80-year-old Bhim Sen Kohli is to be reviewed under the UK’s Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme.

The Attorney General’s Office confirmed on Friday (5) that the teenager’s sentence will now be considered by the Court of Appeal.

Keep ReadingShow less
Dalai Lama hopes to live 'beyond 130 years'

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama attends a prayer meet held for his long life at the Dalai Lama temple in the northern hill town of Dharamshala, India, July 5, 2025. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis

Dalai Lama hopes to live 'beyond 130 years'

THE Dalai Lama said on Saturday (5) he hopes to live until he is more than 130 years old, two decades longer than his previous prediction, following his assurance to followers that he would reincarnate as the spiritual head of the faith upon his death.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner was speaking during a ceremony organised by his followers to offer prayers for his long life, ahead of his 90th birthday on Sunday (6), and as China insists it will choose his successor. The Dalai Lama told Reuters in December he might live to 110.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK heatwave by mid-July

Daytime temperatures meeting or exceeding set thresholds of 25°C

iStock

Met Office warns of potential third UK heatwave by mid-July

Key points

  • Met Office forecasts rising temperatures by mid-July
  • Possible third heatwave after record-breaking June
  • High pressure system likely to bring hot air from the Atlantic
  • Yellow rain warning and flood alerts issued in parts of Scotland and Cumbria

Possible heatwave to return by mid-July

The UK could experience its third heatwave in a month by mid-July, the Met Office has said. Forecasters expect rising heat and humidity during the second weekend of July, following two weekends of unusually warm weather in late June.

June was officially the hottest on record in England, and the return of high temperatures could mean another heatwave for parts of the country. However, the Met Office cautioned that it is too early to confirm how hot conditions will get.

Keep ReadingShow less
crypto

Two men have been jailed for defrauding investors of £1.5 million through a fake crypto investment scheme. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Two jailed over £1.5m crypto investment scam

TWO people who duped investors of £1.5 million by selling fake investments in crypto have been jailed for 12 years, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said.

Raymondip Bedi, of Bromley, and Patrick Mavanga, of Peckham, conned at least 65 people by cold-calling them between February 2017 and June 2019. They operated companies including CCX Capital and Astaria Group LLP.

Keep ReadingShow less
Manchester Police probes over 1,000 child sexual abuse suspects

Photo for representation. (iStock)

Getty Images/iStockphoto

Manchester Police probes over 1,000 child sexual abuse suspects

GREATER MANCHESTER POLICE is now investigating more than 1,000 child sexual abuse suspects, following years of public criticism and institutional failings in tackling child sexual exploitation.

A new report by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has revealed the force has made “significant improvements” in dealing with group-based sexual abuse and related crimes.

Keep ReadingShow less