Reducing salt intake by one gram a day can reduce heart disease risk, researchers say

BOSTON – Reducing your salt intake can be a challenge. But doing so by just one gram a day could reduce your risk of heart disease.

UK researchers analyzed data from China where people have among the highest daily intake of salt in the world. They found that reducing salt intake by one gram a day could significantly lower the risk of heart disease and stroke, potentially saving millions of lives.

Here in the U.S., we consume about 3.4 grams of salt per day while the American Heart Association recommends no more than 2.3 grams a day or even 1.5 grams a day for people with high blood pressure.

But more than 70% of sodium we eat comes from restaurants, take-out meals, snacks, condiments, and highly processed foods.

So the best way to cut back is to cook meals at home, avoid prepackaged foods, buy fresh produce and meats instead, read nutrition labels carefully, flavor your foods with other spices like turmeric and ginger, and eat foods high in potassium like bananas and avocados which can counteract the effects of salt.

Boston

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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