Adding salt to food could raise stomach cancer risk by 40%, study says
If you're partial to adding an extra sprinkle of salt to your food, now might be the time to step away from the salt cellar as new research has linked the seasoning to an increased risk of stomach cancer.
Sure salt is important for adding some flavour to sometimes bland dishes, but a recent study has suggested a high salt intake could increase your risk of stomach cancer by around 40%.
Researchers, from MedUni Vienna, set out to evaluate the frequency of adding salt to food at the table in relation to a gastric cancer risk among UK adults.
The team analysed data from 471,144 adults in the United Kingdom, called the UK Biobank, but those with cancer or kidney issues were not part of the research.
The findings, published recently in the Gastric Cancer journal, found that those who added salt to food at table had a 41% greater risk of developing gastric or stomach cancer than those who never or rarely added salt.
The results were identified after an 10.9 year median follow-up period with the participants in which researchers recorded 640 cancer cases.
However, the study is not without limitations, its authors point out.
“While our study based on a large cohort suggests that always adding salt to food at table is also associated with a higher risk of gastric cancer in Western populations, it has several limitations. Case numbers in our study were not sufficient to evaluate the influence of potential modifiers such as sex, age, ethnicity, H. pylori infection, or smoking status,” the study said.
The researchers also point out individuals who add more salt to their foods are also more likely to already be eating foods with higher sodium levels.
That means the true association between salt intake and gastric cancer risk could be higher because the study's data didn't include participants' complete dietary sodium intake.
The link between salt intake and gastric cancer
The results linking those who “always adding salt to food” at the table with gastric cancer are similar to previous findings of a recent pooled analyses of 25 case–control studies conducted in America, Asia and several European countries, revealing positive associations between added salt and gastric cancer.
Further studies also suggested a higher gastric cancer risk among Asian populations with high intakes of salt, salted fish, pickled foods and processed meats.
However, smaller studies from Europe using different indicators, like a person's total dietary sodium intake, show some inconsistencies.
While more research on salt intake and gastric cancer risk are needed, study authors suggest the findings in the most recent study could serve as a message to the public about reducing overall sodium intake both on individual and population levels.
The charity Action On Salt explains that the major risk factor for stomach cancer, causing one in three stomach cancers, is the bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori).
It can lead to inflammation and gastric ulcers which can progress into stomach cancer, and salt has been found to increase the action of H. pylori.
Stomach cancer is the 17th most common cancer in the UK, accounting for 2% of all new cancer cases.
There are around 6,500 new stomach cancer cases in the UK every year, that's 18 every day.
Symptoms may include indigestion, lack of appetite, a feeling of fullness, bleeding, blood in the stools, blood clots, pain and/or sickness.
How much salt should we have in our diet?
The NHS recommends adults should have no more than 6g of salt a day (around 1 level teaspoon). But Action On Salt says the current average daily salt intake is around 8g, with many people eating more than this.
Four to six-year-olds should have no more than 3g, seven to 10 years no more than 5 g and 11 and older 6g.
Babies should not have much salt, because their kidneys are not fully developed and cannot process it.
This includes the salt that’s already in our food and the salt added during and after cooking.
The health service warns that consuming too much salt can cause high blood pressure, which increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
And there are some other health problems associated with a high-salt diet.
“A high intake of sodium from salty foods has been associated with poor sleep quality," explains Kerry Beeson, Nutritional Therapist (BSc) from Prep Kitchen.
"It can cause water retention which encourages nocturnal urination. If you’re often woken by your bladder in the night, consider whether you’re eating too much salt - aim for less than 5-6g daily.
Sodium (in salt) also depletes our magnesium stores.
"Magnesium helps your brain and muscles relax, plus it helps to keep levels of sleep hormones like melatonin balanced," Beeson adds.
The problem is, it is very easy to have too much salt without realising it as around three quarters of the salt we eat comes from packaged and everyday foods we buy, including bread, breakfast cereals, meat products and ready meals.
The NHS suggests some ways to reduce your salt intake including:
Using herbs and spices to flavour your food instead of salt
Checking food labels for salt and opting for lower-salt foods
Trying low or reduced-salt versions of foods and sauces
Buying tinned vegetables, pulses or fish in water instead of brine
Reducing consumption of high-salt foods eg cured meats and fish, cheese, olives and pickles
Switching to healthier snacks eg plain rice cakes, fruit, vegetable sticks or unsalted nuts
Read more about food and diets:
What is the Atlantic diet, 'cousin' of the Mediterranean diet? (Yahoo Life UK, 4-min read)
How avocados contribute to a healthy gut microbiome (Yahoo Life UK, 7-min read)
11 diet mistakes that make people feel hungry all the time (Yahoo Life UK, 6-min read)
