A recent study found that reducing a very high salt intake by one gram daily can substantially reduce health risks such as cardiovascular events and strokes.
Salt is often overlooked as diabetic people need to have a healthy diet. Assumingly, the tangy taste of salt can counter the sweetness of the sugar.
It doesn't directly affect blood glucose the way that carbohydrate-containing foods do. However, there is evidence that restricting salt in one's diet can be highly beneficial for diabetic individuals.
Research shows that high salt intake can interfere with the body's immune system and can increase inflammation, which is dangerous for people with diabetes because of elevated blood glucose levels.
The Study's Method
People with a high stroke risk - those with existing cardiovascular risk factors like high blood pressure - may have reduced dangers by using a salt substitute.
And higher salt intake is even linked to a higher blood sugar level, possibly contributing to insulin resistance in cells throughout the whole body.
For this latest study, the researchers used statistical modeling to estimate the effects will be, over time, of a limiting salt intake in the Chinese population.
The author noted that China has one of the highest average salt intakes in the world at about 11 grams per day.
So even reducing one gram per day would leave the average salt intake high, which leads to whether achieving this salt level reduction would have meaningful health benefits across the whole population.
The study was published in the BMJ Nutrition, Prevention and Health journal.
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Results of Reduction of Salt Consumption
The scientists figured out that based on the earlier studies data, it shows how salt consumption is a relative factor in cardiovascular events, and reducing per-person salt intake in China by one gram per day will reduce the risk of ischemic heart condition-disease related to blood flow- by 4% and risk for stroke by 6%.
If the suggested salt consumption reduction lasts from now until 2030, it can prevent about 9 million cardiovascular events, including about 4 million fatal conditions.
A gradual reduction of salt intake to a level 30% lower by 2025, on the other hand, could prevent 1.5 times as many cardiovascular diseases and related deaths while reaching out to the Chinese government's target of a per-person reduction of 5 grams per day by 2030 can prevent twice as many cardiovascular condition and death rate.
Salt and sodium are often connected to one another, but these two components are different. The salt contains sodium along with chloride. Sodium, on the other hand, is found in many foods, such as canned soup, potato chips, deli meats, frozen dinners, and fast foods.
The American Heart Association said that more than 70% of people's intake comes from processed and restaurant foods. Another 10% is added while cooking or eating, and 15% occurs naturally in some foods.
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