Reducing a very high salt intake by one gram each day could substantially reduce cardiovascular events like heart attacks and strokes, according to a new study published in the journal BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health.
Salt is sometimes overlooked as people with diabetes try to follow a healthy diet, since it doesn’t directly affect blood glucose the way that carbohydrate-containing foods do. But there is evidence that limiting salt in your diet could be highly beneficial for people with diabetes. Research shows that a high salt intake can interfere with your immune system and increase inflammation — dangers that people with diabetes already face from elevated blood glucose levels. At the same time, people with an elevated stroke risk — those with existing cardiovascular risk factors like high blood pressure — may reduce that risk by using a salt substitute. A higher salt intake is even linked to higher blood glucose levels, possibly by contributing to insulin resistance in cells throughout the body.
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For the latest study, researchers used statistical modeling to estimate what the effects would be, over time, of a reduction in salt intake in the Chinese population. China has one of the highest average salt intakes in the world at about 11 grams per day, the study authors noted. So even a reduction of 1 gram per day would leave the average salt intake very high — leading to the question of whether achieving this level of salt reduction would have meaningful health benefits across the population.
Daily 1-gram reduction in salt consumption could meaningfully reduce cardiovascular events
The researchers found that based on previous studies showing how salt consumption is related to cardiovascular events, reducing the per-person salt intake in China by 1 gram per day would reduce the risk for ischemic heart disease (disease related to blood flow) by 4%, and the risk for stroke by 6%. If this reduction in salt consumption lasted from now until 2030, it could prevent about 9 million cardiovascular events, including about 4 million fatal events. A gradual reduction of salt consumption to a level 30% lower by 2025, on the other hand, could prevent 1.5 times as many cardiovascular events and deaths, while reaching the Chinese government’s target of a per-person reduction of 5 grams per day by 2030 could prevent twice as many cardiovascular events and deaths.
While the Chinese government’s target may be more beneficial, the researchers noted that it’s far more ambitious and potentially difficult to achieve. Reducing salt consumption by only about one-fifth as much, on the other hand, could prevent half as many cardiovascular events and deaths — a goal that the researchers described as “easily achievable.”
The lessons of this study aren’t limited to China, of course. It found that even a modest reduction in salt intake from a high level could have major health benefits across the population — something that policymakers and consumers around the world can take into account as they try to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease.
Want to learn more about sodium? Read “Salt Facts.”
Want to learn more about protecting your heart? Read “Be Heart Smart: Know Your Numbers,” “Does Diabetes Hurt Your Heart?” “Fight Off Heart Disease With These Five Heart-Healthy Foods” and “Lower Your Risk of Heart Disease.”