Diet: you consume a lot of salt ? Be careful, you expose yourself to an increased risk of stomach cancer

Une forte consommation de sel augmente le risque de cancer de l’estomac

Les personnes qui ajoutent fréquemment du sel à leur alimentation présentent 40 % de risques supplémentaires de développer un cancer de l'estomac par rapport à celles qui n'utilisent pas la salière à table.

High salt consumption is often associated with a risk of developing cardiovascular disease. It can in fact increase blood pressure and the risk of cardiovascular events. It also contributes to increasing the risk of water retention and osteoporosis.

A study conducted by the Medical University of Vienna (MedUni Vienna) reveals a new harm. This work shows that people who frequently add salt to their food have approximately a 40% increased risk of developing stomach cancer compared to those who do not.

The researchers used data from more than 470,000 adults. Between 2006 and 2010, participants answered a questionnaire including the question "How often do you add salt to your food ?". The team then compared the survey results with salt excretion in urine and data from national cancer registries.

No more than 5g per day

It appears that people who said they always or often added salt to their food had a 39% increased risk of developing stomach cancer.

"Stomach cancer is the fifth most common cancer in the world" , recall the authors. "The risk of this tumor increases with age, but the latest statistics reveal a worrying increase in adults under 50 years old. Risk factors include smoking, alcohol consumption, overweight and obesity"… Factors to which we must now add increased salt consumption.

Remember that the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends not consuming more than 5g of salt per day for an adult, 2g for a child. However in Europe, we consume on average 8 to 19g of salt per day.

Note: studies carried out among Asian populations, who frequently consume heavily salted foods (fish, sauces, marinades) had already proven that a very salty diet increased the risk of stomach cancer.