Adding Salt to Food Increases Risk of Premature Mortality

The relationship between salt intake and health is not yet fully understood. However, a study published in the European Heart Journal found that adding salt beyond its use in cooking correlated with an increased risk of premature mortality and a lower life expectancy.  

“A recent ecological study has rekindled this controversy by reporting that sodium intake was inversely associated with the risk of all-cause mortality and positively associated with healthy life expectancy in 181 countries worldwide. Notably, previous studies investigating the association between sodium intake and risk of mortality have produced conflicting results, showing positively linear, J-shaped, or inversely linear associations,” stated the investigators in the publication.   

According to the CDC, sodium is necessary for regular biological functions, and the 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans advise less than 2,300 mg of sodium intake daily.  

Despite this recommendation, most people over 2 years old in the United States consume more than 3,400 mg of sodium daily. Furthermore, an average of 90% of people over 2 years old in the US are ingesting more than the recommended daily intake.  

The Harvard University School of Public Health states that “too much sodium in the diet can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. It can also cause calcium losses, some of which may be pulled from the bone.” 

Additionally, increased sodium intake can contribute to chronic kidney disease.  

The first outcome measurement in this publication was the concentration of urinary sodium and potassium. Clinicians noted that increased frequency of adding salt to foods leads to a higher concentration of urinary sodium but a lower concentration of urinary potassium.  

Furthermore, even after sex, age, race, smoking, drinking, BMI, physical activity, and comorbidity adjustments were made, those with a higher salt intake also had a higher hazard ratio of all-cause premature mortality. 

Researchers also stated that people 50 years old who always add salt to their food had a 1.5 year and 2.28 year decrease in life expectancy for women and men, respectively.  

“In conclusion, our study indicates that the higher frequency of adding salt to foods is associated with a higher hazard of all-cause premature mortality and lower life expectancy. High intakes of potassium-rich foods, such as vegetables and fruits, may attenuate the association between adding salt to foods and mortality. Further clinical trials are warranted to validate these findings,” concluded the clinicians in the publication.  

Patients and physicians may consider altering their diet or dietary recommendations to mitigate risk with this new and existing data. Despite these statistics, dietary guidance varies from person to person based on comorbidities, genetics, and many other contributing factors.