A long-term study from Meduni Vienna shows for the first time a link between dietary salt intake and the risk of stomach cancer in European cancer statistics. As an analysis published in the journal “Stomach Cancer” showed, those who added salt to their diet were 40 percent more likely to develop stomach cancer. The danger to Asian countries has already been proven. There was already a similar study in Europe on mortality risk – we reported it here.
MedUni Vienna reports that data from more than 470,000 adults from the large-scale British cohort study “UK-Biobank” has now been analysed. Among other things, “How often do you add salt to your food?” Responses to the question were collected between 2006 and 2010 using a questionnaire. The research team, led by Selma Kronsteiner-Gicevic and Tilman Kühn from MedUni’s Center for Public Health, compared the results of the survey with data on urinary salt excretion and national cancer registries.
Stomach cancer is the fifth most common cancer worldwide
During this, it was found that people who said they always or often added salt to their diet were 39 percent more likely to develop stomach cancer during the eleven-year follow-up period. Salt their food. “Our results persisted when demographic, socioeconomic, and lifestyle factors were taken into account, and were equally true in the case of widespread comorbidities,” says lead author Kronsteiner-Kicevic.
According to Meduni, stomach cancer is the fifth most common type of cancer worldwide. The risk of this cancer increases with age, but recent statistics paint a worrying picture of an increase in adults under 50. Risk factors include tobacco and alcohol consumption, Helicobacter pylori infection, overweight and obesity. The fact that very salty foods increase the risk of stomach cancer has been proven in studies with Asian people who often eat foods that are salty, highly salted fish, or highly salty meats and preserved in sauces. Here’s a summary of how you can reduce your personal cancer risk.
Effects of excessive salt intake
“Our research shows an association between salt intake and stomach cancer, even in Western countries,” Kronsteiner-Kicevic was quoted as saying. “With our study, we want to raise awareness of the negative effects of high salt intake and provide a basis for measures to prevent stomach cancer,” summarized study leader Tilmon Kohn.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has also pointed out in the past that too much salt in the diet is unhealthy. According to WHO, excessive salt intake promotes high blood pressure, heart disease and other diseases. It is recommended not to consume more than two grams of sodium per day. This is equivalent to a teaspoon of salt.
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