Recent study results may make you think twice before adding more salt to your next meal.
Nutrition experts from the Center for Public Health at the University of Vienna found that people in the UK who added more salt to most of their meals were 41% more likely to develop stomach cancer compared to those who used salt moderately or sparingly.
This study confirms the results of previous scientific research suggesting that excess salt may lead to erosion of the protective layer in the stomach, causing tissue damage and potentially leading to cancerous mutations.
To reach these conclusions, researchers from the University of Vienna examined a database of 471,144 adults in the UK over 11 years.
The study found that people who consumed salt intensively or excessively were 41% more likely to develop stomach cancer compared to those who rarely added salt to their meals.
This finding remained true even when researchers excluded other variables such as age, socioeconomic status, and other lifestyle choices like alcohol consumption and smoking, according to the British newspaper “Daily Mail”.
Commenting on the study, lead author Selma Kröncke-Giesswein, a nutritionist at the University of Vienna, said: “Our research shows the relationship between the frequency of adding salt and stomach cancer. Our study will increase awareness of the negative effects of very high salt consumption and provide a basis for stomach cancer prevention measures.”
