Salt-free diet ‘can reduce risk of heart problems by almost 20%’

Cutting out salt from meals can slash your risk of heart problems and strokes by almost a fifth, the largest study of its kind suggests.

Research has documented how adding salt to food increases the likelihood of cardiovascular disease and premature death. Now experts have established just how big a difference you could make to your heart health – simply by reducing the number of meals to which you add salt or by ditching it altogether.

Researchers found those who never add salt to meals were 18% less likely to develop atrial fibrillation (AF), a heart condition, compared with those who always do. The number diagnosed with the condition in the UK has increased by 50% in the last decade to 1.5 million.

AF causes an irregular and often abnormally fast heart rate, which can lead dizziness, shortness of breath and tiredness. People with AF are five times more likely to have a stroke.

Lead author Dr Yoon Jung Park, of Kyungpook national university hospital, South Korea, said: “Our study indicates that lower frequency of adding salt to foods was associated with lower risk of AF.”

The findings are being presented this weekend in Amsterdam at the annual meeting of the European Society of Cardiology, the world’s largest heart conference.

The research used data from the UK Biobank, which involves more than 500,000 people aged between 40 and 70 across the UK from 2006 to 2010. Those who already had AF, coronary artery disease, heart failure or stroke at the start of the research were excluded.

Each was asked how regularly they salted meals, from “never/rarely”, “sometimes”, “usually” or “always” do so. Researchers then tracked them over 11 years to see how this affected them. Compared with those who always salted their foods, those who never did were 18% less likely to suffer AF. People who sometimes added it to meals were 15% less likely.

The study suggests even those who switch their diet from always adding salt to “usually” adding it could see a big difference in their risk. Those in the usual group were 12% less likely to develop AF compared with those who “always” do so.

Prof James Leiper of the British Heart Foundation, said: “It’s well-known that eating too much salt can lead to health problems. This research is a helpful reminder that we could all benefit from sticking to the government recommendation of eating no more than 6g of salt a day – about a teaspoon.”

Mhairi Brown, of Consensus Action on Salt, Sugar and Health said: “This new research is a valuable addition to the evidence base and reinforces the need for strict policies that would help lower the amount of salt in our food and protect our health from avoidable deaths.”