Over-Salting Food Could Heighten Stomach Cancer Risk by 40%, Study Finds

Researchers have discovered that over-salting one's food could elevate the risk of developing some cancers.

Adding Salt to Food Associated With Higher Stomach Cancer Risk

On average, Americans consume over 3,400 mg of salt daily. This is much higher in comparison to the recommended ceiling intake of 2,300 mg of salt each day.

According to a new study, "Adding salt to food at the table as an indicator of gastric cancer risk among adults: a prospective study," people who include salt in their food are 40% more likely to develop stomach cancer compared to people who don't add more salt.

The study supports other researchers who have discovered associations between stomach cancer and high salt consumption in Asian countries, where saltier foods are more commonly consumed.

Selma Kronsteiner-Gicevic, the study's author and researcher at the Center for Public Health of the Medical University of Vienna, explains that the study also shows a connection between added salt frequency and stomach cancer in Western countries.

As part of the study, researchers from the Medical University of Vienna examined data taken from more than 470,000 adults in the UK between 2006 and 2010. The participants were asked to answer various questions about the frequency of adding salt to food. The researchers then compared the answers with salt levels found in cancer patients' urine samples.

The researchers discovered that those who always or often added salt to food had a 39% higher likelihood of developing stomach cancer across 11 years. This is in comparison to those who added minimal or no salt.

Kronsteiner-Gicevic also explains that the study stood up to considering socioeconomic, lifestyle, and demographic factors. It was also found to be valid for comorbidities that prevail.

However, this 40% increase is still quite relatively small. Overall, the lifetime risk of getting stomach cancer is roughly one in 155 for women and one in 101 for men.

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Stomach Cancer

Stomach cancer, or gastric cancer, is considered the third leading cause of death related to cancer and the fifth most common type of cancer. Other stomach cancer risk factors include Helicobacter pylori bacterial infection, smoking, age, obesity, and chronic stomach inflammation.

Stomach cancer cells typically start within the stomach's inner lining. As the condition develops, they grow deeper into the stomach walls. The tumor could spread to nearby organs, such as the pancreas and liver.

Across the US, the survival rate for stomach cancer in five years is roughly 33%. However, if the disease is caught before it spreads beyond the stomach, this survival rate rises to 72%. However, only approximately one in three cases of stomach cancers across the US get diagnosed at such early stages.

During the early stages, the disease usually does not yield any symptoms. Even the earliest stomach cancer signs typically do not show up until the disease progresses further. Nevertheless, symptoms may include swallowing difficulties, appetite loss, weakness, fatigue, vomiting, nausea, indigestion, heartburn, unexplained weight loss, feeling gassy or bloated after eating, black stool, vomiting blood, stomach pain, and feeling full after eating a small snack or meal.