Don't pass the salt: New research shows that globally, excess sodium consumption is the cause of about 1.65 million deaths by strokes and heart disease every year. About 667,000 of those deaths are "premature," happening before the age of 70.
Sodium can be dangerous because high amounts are often hidden in packaged snacks, canned soups, and breads. The new study, from an international team led by Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian of Harvard University's School of Public Health, researchers discovered that 1 in 10 cardiovascular deaths around the world can be attributed to excessive sodium consumption, the Los Angeles Times reports, with one in five younger than 70.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Not everyone needs to cut their sodium intake; in fact, for people with chronic kidney disease or heart failure, a diet very low in sodium can cause complications leading to death. The optimal amount of sodium to consume isn't clear, Harvard's Dr. Walter Willett told the Times, but less is usually better. "Given the very clear relation between sodium intake and higher blood pressure, and evidence that reducing intake reduces risk of cardiovascular disease, I think the new findings do not change the basic conclusion that we should be moving toward lower sodium intakes," he said.
Read more about the study at the Los Angeles Times.
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstancesSpeed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governorSpeed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditionsSpeed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billionSpeed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on recordSpeed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homesSpeed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creatureSpeed Read
