Reducing salt intake by 1 gram per day could save 4 million lives

Dietary changes can also prevent nearly 9 million cases of stroke and heart disease

According to estimates published in the open-access British Medical Journal of Nutrition Prevention and Health, reducing salt intake by 1 gram per day could prevent more than 9 million heart attacks and strokes and save 4 million lives

China has one of the highest salt intakes in the world, averaging 11 grams per day — more than

Researchers began evaluating the health benefits of reducing salt intake nationwide to help guide the establishment of a viable salt reduction program

They collected the latest and reliable statistics on population size, salt intake, blood pressure, and prevalence by location and age, and then assessed the impact of three different approaches on

The first is to reduce your salt intake by 1 gram per day for a year

The third goal is to reduce salt intake to less than 5 grams per day by 2030, a goal

They then estimated a drop in systolic blood pressure (a higher number in blood pressure readings that indicates the strength of the heart to pump blood throughout the body) and the subsequent risk of

Considering that Chinese adults consume an average of 11 grams of salt per day, a reduction of 1 gram of salt per day could reduce the average systolic blood pressure by about 1.

If this continues for another 10 years, 13 million heart attacks and strokes could be avoided, 6 million of

Meeting the World Health Organization's medium-term target by 2025 requires a 3.

If it continues through 2040, the cumulative total number of cases could reach around 27 million, of which 12 million are fatal

Achieving the Healthy China 2030 goal will require a 6-gram reduction in salt intake per day and a slightly more than 7 millimeter Hg reduction in average systolic blood pressure, thereby preventing up to 17 million cases of heart disease and stroke, 8 million of

The researchers say the benefits of reducing salt intake in the diet will apply to both men and women

Due to the lack of relevant data, the researchers could not estimate that this could lead to additional health benefits: including secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases and a reduction in cases of chronic kidney disease and stomach cancer, both of which they say are already high and even rising

"The Chinese government's action plan, Healthy China 2030, includes nutritional recommendations to

But they stress: "Our estimates rely on the reduction of salt not only to be achieved, but to last for a period of time
.
" Given China's rapid urbanization and rapid changes in eating patterns, this could be a huge challenge
.
”

They concluded: "The evidence for significant benefits of reducing salt intake in China is consistent and convincing
.
Achieving and sustaining salt reduction in China could prevent millions of unnecessary cardiovascular events and deaths
.
Given the sheer size of the Chinese, this will also bring significant benefits
to global health.
”

"Modeling studies like this provide an indicator of how specific dietary changes have the potential to alter the course of diet-related diseases," commented Shane McAuliffe, director of scientific and digital communications at NNEdPro's Center for Global Nutrition and Health, which is co-owned
with the journal.

He added: "Given the already established dose-response relationship between salt intake, systolic blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, reducing salt intake from one of the highest consumers worldwide will have a significant impact on population health – something that has been achieved
in other countries around the world.
"