United Kindgom: A new study has suggested that salt free meals can reduce the risk of heart problems and strokes. The research documented how adding salt to food increases the likelihood of cardiovascular disease and premature death.
The largest study of its kind found those who never add salt to meals were 18 percent 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 percent in the last decade to 1.5 million.
AF causes an irregular and often abnormally fast heart rate, which can lead to 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, commented that “our study indicates that lower frequency of adding salt to foods was associated with lower risk of AF.” The findings will be presented 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.
Each was asked how regularly they salted meals and researchers 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 percet less likely to suffer AF. People who sometimes added it to meals were 15 percent less likely.
The study further suggested 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 percent less likely to develop AF compared with those who “always” do so.
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