Latest news with #salt
Medscape
a day ago
- Health
- Medscape
Adding a Pinch of Salt Can Affect Liver Health
TOPLINE: Adding salt to foods with a higher frequency was associated with increased risks for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. The associations were stronger among nonsmokers, current alcohol drinkers, and individuals without diabetes or with a lower BMI and were partly mediated by adiposity. METHODOLOGY: Previous studies have shown that added salt in foods is linked to adverse health outcomes such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and mortality, but its role in liver-related disorders is still underexplored. Researchers conducted a prospective cohort study with 492,265 participants (mean age, 56.5 years; 45.3% men) from the UK Biobank who had no prevalent liver diseases or alcohol/drug use disorders at baseline. Participants' frequency of adding salt to foods was self-reported, with responses categorized as never/rarely, sometimes, usually, and always. The primary outcome was incident MASLD, with secondary outcomes including cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, identified using diagnostic codes through electronic health records. The association between frequency of adding salt and risks for liver-related disorders was assessed using models adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle factors, personal history of diseases, and diet factors, and linear trends were calculated on the basis of frequency of adding salt to foods. TAKEAWAY: Adding salt more frequently was associated with an increased risk for incident MASLD, with adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) of 1.08 for sometimes, 1.22 for usually, and 1.40 for always, compared with never/rarely (P for trend < .0001). A higher frequency of adding salt was also associated with increased risks for cirrhosis (aHRs, 1.11 for sometimes, 1.09 for usually, and 1.32 for always) and hepatocellular carcinoma (aHRs, 1.26 for sometimes, 1.45 for usually, and 2.25 for always) compared with never/rarely (P for trend < .0001 for both). The association between adding salt frequency and the risk for MASLD was stronger among nonsmokers, current alcohol drinkers, and individuals without diabetes or with a lower BMI (P for interaction < .05 for all). Adiposity measures, including BMI, waist-to-hip ratio, body fat mass, and body fat percentage, mediated over 20% of the associations between frequency of adding salt and the risk for incident MASLD. Similar factors mediated the effects for cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma along with alcohol intake. IN PRACTICE: 'These findings suggest that reducing salt/sodium intake could be a promising strategy for preventing liver-related disorders,' the study authors wrote. SOURCE: The study was led by Shunming Zhang, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center in Xi'an, China, and Lund University, Malmö, Sweden. It was published online in the European Journal of Nutrition. LIMITATIONS: The single baseline measurement of frequency of adding salt to food does not account for changes over time, potentially underestimating associations. The reliance on self-reported data for salt addition frequency and some covariates may lead to recall bias and measurement errors. The study's observational design limits causal inference, and the predominantly European ancestry of participants may affect generalizability to other populations. DISCLOSURES: This study was supported by an open access funding provided by Lund University and grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China, China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, Shaanxi Province Postdoctoral Science Foundation, and Young Elite Scientists Sponsorship Program by CAST. The authors declared having no conflicts of interest. This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Avoid this ‘fancy' seasoning to protect yourself from heart disease and stroke: cardiologist
It's time to spice things down. Seasoning is arguably the most exciting part of eating food, as it has the power to enhance natural flavors and add complexity to any dish. But one cardiologist is sounding the alarm on a supposedly upscale seasoning — and, fair warning, her advice might leave you feeling salty. While salt is an essential electrolyte that plays a crucial role in fluid balance and nerve and muscle function, too much of it can spike your blood pressure, thereby increasing your risk of heart disease and stroke. The American Heart Association advises limiting sodium intake to no more than 2,300 milligrams per day — roughly one teaspoon of table salt — with an ideal target of 1,500 mg for most adults, especially those with high blood pressure. However, the average American consumes around 3,400 mg of sodium daily. And not all salt is created equal, either. While coarse salt has been deemed the most sophisticated choice of sodium chloride, mostly thanks to its popularity among professional chefs — and the cute little ramekins they use to store it in — it might not be the healthiest option. Dr. Susan Cheng, a cardiologist in the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, told that the crunchy texture of this 'fancy' salt might make it easier to overindulge. 'The less expensive regular salt you get from the grocery store that is not so fancy or coarse gives you as much taste for much less volume of salt. You're ingesting less salt,' Cheng told the outlet. Cardiologist Dr. Evan Levine has also previously warned his nearly 225,000 TikTok followers against jumping on the trendy salt train. In a video on the biggest TikTok healthcare lies, he ranted against the Celtic sea salt craze, which has gained traction because it's less processed and contains negligible amounts of minerals. 'Guess what? It's sodium chloride like your salt,' he said. 'It has trace — little itsy bitsy — amounts of calcium, potassium … and that's it.' Experts generally agree that regular table salt is actually the healthiest choice for most people. That's because it's fortified with iodine, an essential mineral that helps prevent iodine deficiency, which can lead to thyroid problem. Many gourmet salts — such as Himalayan, Kosher or sea salt — don't contain added iodine. Table salt has smaller, uniform grains, so you're more likely to use less without sacrificing flavor. And it's regulated for purity and consistency, which means fewer contaminants or trace heavy metals that can sometimes show up in unrefined salts.
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Avoid this ‘fancy' seasoning to protect yourself from heart disease and stroke: cardiologist
It's time to spice things down. Seasoning is arguably the most exciting part of eating food, as it has the power to enhance natural flavors and add complexity to any dish. But one cardiologist is sounding the alarm on a supposedly upscale seasoning — and, fair warning, her advice might leave you feeling salty. While salt is an essential electrolyte that plays a crucial role in fluid balance and nerve and muscle function, too much of it can spike your blood pressure, thereby increasing your risk of heart disease and stroke. The American Heart Association advises limiting sodium intake to no more than 2,300 milligrams per day — roughly one teaspoon of table salt — with an ideal target of 1,500 mg for most adults, especially those with high blood pressure. However, the average American consumes around 3,400 mg of sodium daily. And not all salt is created equal, either. While coarse salt has been deemed the most sophisticated choice of sodium chloride, mostly thanks to its popularity among professional chefs — and the cute little ramekins they use to store it in — it might not be the healthiest option. Dr. Susan Cheng, a cardiologist in the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, told that the crunchy texture of this 'fancy' salt might make it easier to overindulge. 'The less expensive regular salt you get from the grocery store that is not so fancy or coarse gives you as much taste for much less volume of salt. You're ingesting less salt,' Cheng told the outlet. Cardiologist Dr. Evan Levine has also previously warned his nearly 225,000 TikTok followers against jumping on the trendy salt train. In a video on the biggest TikTok healthcare lies, he ranted against the Celtic sea salt craze, which has gained traction because it's less processed and contains negligible amounts of minerals. 'Guess what? It's sodium chloride like your salt,' he said. 'It has trace — little itsy bitsy — amounts of calcium, potassium … and that's it.' Experts generally agree that regular table salt is actually the healthiest choice for most people. That's because it's fortified with iodine, an essential mineral that helps prevent iodine deficiency, which can lead to thyroid problem. Many gourmet salts — such as Himalayan, Kosher or sea salt — don't contain added iodine. Table salt has smaller, uniform grains, so you're more likely to use less without sacrificing flavor. And it's regulated for purity and consistency, which means fewer contaminants or trace heavy metals that can sometimes show up in unrefined salts.
Daily Mail
13-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
The unhealthiest ready meals ranked by salt content
By JOHN ELY DEPUTY HEALTH EDITOR FOR MAILONLINE Published: | Updated: Ready meals sold in Britain can be saltier than ten portions of McDonald's fries, a damning audit has revealed. The probe, by campaign group Action on Salt, looked at the nutritional content of more than 1,500 meals sold by more than 30 brands and supermarkets in the UK. Results showed that the saltiest option contains a whopping 6.1g per serving—nearly twice as salty as seawater, two margarita pizzas (5.2g) or almost ten servings of chips at the fast-food chain. By comparison, the NHS recommends adults only eat 6g of salt for the entire day, for children the limit is even lower. One in five ready meals for sale in Britain exceeded the recommended daily limits for salt, fat and unsaturated fat, Action in Salt found. Even some seemingly healthy dishes contained far more of all three nutrients than recommended. Experts today labelled the probe's findings 'concerning' and 'unacceptable', arguing manufacturers must reduce the salt content of their meals and protect public health. Having excess salt in your system leads to water retention in the blood raising your blood pressure. This can, subsequently, raise the risk of a potentially fatal heart attack or stroke. Heart disease and strokes are one of Britain's biggest killers, killing about 160,000 a year, with the American death toll about five times higher. Action on Salt's investigation found all of the ready meals produced by chef and healthy eating campaigner Jamie Oliver were dangerously high in salt, containing more than 1.5g per 100g. Eighty-three per cent were also found to be high in both fat and saturated fat, and all were found to be low in fibre. Meanwhile, Royal's cottage pie, sold by the likes of Sainsbury's, topped the list for salt content at 6.12g. Royal also took another top spot with its Chicken Tikka Masala with Saffron Rice which had almost 4.7g of salt per serving. Iceland's Taste of Italy Vegetable Lasagne was another high scorer with 3.9g of salt per serving, over half of an adult's daily recommended salt limit. By supermarket, Iceland had the most salty ready meals with 86 per cent of its products high in salt. This was followed by Aldi (70 per cent), Lidl (64 per cent), and M&S and Sainsbury's (54 per cent each). Morrisons performed the best of out of the supermarkets, with only 40 per cent of its ready meals high in salt. Action on Salt also found substantial variation on salt content within different types of ready meals. For example, Sainsbury's Free From Spaghetti Bolognese contained 4.35g of salt per serving. This was 8.5 times more salt than another product Kirsty's Pasta Bolognese Gluten Free which only had 0.5g of salt. Trendy ready meals made by Charlie Bingham weren't far behind Jamie Oliver's in terms of salt content with 91 per cent high in salt. Of the 1,511 ready meals analysed Action of Salt found 56 per cent were high in salt, 42 per cent high in saturated fat and 71 per cent low in fibre. One in five were found in be both high in fat and salt simultaneously. Action on Salt's head of impact and research Sonia Pombo said voluntary targets for producers to reduce salt content introduced in 2006 were clearly not working. 'With over half of ready meals found to be unacceptably high in salt, consumers' health are being put at serious risk, often without realising it,' she said. 'It should not be this hard to eat healthily. 'We now need the government to stop pandering to industry interests and introduce mandatory salt reduction targets with real consequences for non-compliance.' Dr Pauline Swift, chair of the charity Blood Pressure UK, also called for action. 'Excess salt in our food is directly linked to raised blood pressure–the biggest risk factor for strokes, heart disease and kidney disease–all of which are completely avoidable,' she said. 'The government must act now to enforce stronger salt reduction targets and protect public health before even more lives are needlessly lost.' Professor Bryan Williams OBE, chief medical and scientific officer at the British Heart Foundation, added: 'This concerning data shows it is not always straightforward for people to find ready meals which are low in salt. 'Food companies must do more to reduce salt in their products, so that the healthy options are more easily available.' The NHS warns that too much fat in your diet, especially saturated fats, can raise your cholesterol, which in turn increases the risk of heart disease. On the other hand, getting enough fibre, also called roughage, helps with digestion, preventing constipation and is also linked with a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and bowel cancer. Ready meals are now considered a staple of the modern British diet with surveys suggesting three out of four people consuming at least one per week. The Department of Health and Social Care was contacted for comment. Action on Salt's analysis of ready meals was based on products surveyed in January of this year.
Daily Mail
13-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Unhealthiest ready meals REVEALED: Worst offenders salty as 10 portions of McDonald's fries - is your favourite on the list?
saltier than ten portions of McDonald's fries, a damning audit has revealed. The probe, by campaign group Action on Salt, looked at the nutritional content of more than 1,500 meals sold by more than 30 brands and supermarkets in the UK. Results showed that the saltiest option contains a whopping 6.1g per serving—nearly twice as salty as seawater, two margarita pizzas (5.2g) or almost ten servings of chips at the fast-food chain. By comparison, the NHS recommends adults only eat 6g of salt for the entire day, for children the limit is even lower. One in five ready meals for sale in Britain exceeded the recommended daily limits for salt, fat and unsaturated fat, Action in Salt found. Even some seemingly healthy dishes contained far more of all three nutrients than recommended. Experts today labelled the probe's findings 'concerning' and 'unacceptable', arguing manufacturers must reduce the salt content of their meals and protect public health. Having excess salt in your system leads to water retention in the blood raising your blood pressure. This can, subsequently, raise the risk of a potentially fatal heart attack or stroke. Heart disease and strokes are one of Britain's biggest killers, killing about 160,000 a year, with the American death toll about five times higher. Action on Salt's investigation found all of the ready meals produced by chef and healthy eating campaigner Jamie Oliver were dangerously high in salt, containing more than 1.5g per 100g. Eighty-three per cent were also found to be high in both fat and saturated fat, and all were found to be low in fibre. Meanwhile, Royal's cottage pie, sold by the likes of Sainsbury's, topped the list for salt content at 6.12g. Royal also took another top spot with its Chicken Tikka Masala with Saffron Rice which had almost 4.7g of salt per serving. Iceland's Taste of Italy Vegetable Lasagne was another high scorer with 3.9g of salt per serving, over half of an adult's daily recommended salt limit. By supermarket, Iceland had the most salty ready meals with 86 per cent of its products high in salt. This was followed by Aldi (70 per cent), Lidl (64 per cent), and M&S and Sainsbury's (54 per cent each). Morrisons performed the best of out of the supermarkets, with only 40 per cent of its ready meals high in salt. Action on Salt also found substantial variation on salt content within different types of ready meals. For example, Sainsbury's Free From Spaghetti Bolognese contained 4.35g of salt per serving. This was 8.5 times more salt than another product Kirsty's Pasta Bolognese Gluten Free which only had 0.5g of salt. Trendy ready meals made by Charlie Bingham weren't far behind Jamie Oliver's in terms of salt content with 91 per cent high in salt. NHS guidelines suggest adults should consume no more than 6g of salt per day. The WHO, however, recommend just 5g. A diet too high in salt is linked to high blood pressure, hypertension, as the sodium in salt leads to more water in your blood vessels. Studies have suggested a high an intake of salt is associated with a 23 per cent increase in the risk of stroke and a 14 per cent increase in the risk of cardiovascular disease. Other research has indicated that high salt intakes cause stiffening of blood vessels and arteries. In turn, these changes may result in a higher risk of heart disease. What is the maximum amount of salt a child should eat per day? Age Salt One to three Four to six Seven to 10 11 to 18 2g 3g 5g 6g Source: The British Heart Foundation and NHS Of the 1,511 ready meals analysed Action of Salt found 56 per cent were high in salt, 42 per cent high in saturated fat and 71 per cent low in fibre. One in five were found in be both high in fat and salt simultaneously. Action on Salt's head of impact and research Sonia Pombo said voluntary targets for producers to reduce salt content introduced in 2006 were clearly not working. 'With over half of ready meals found to be unacceptably high in salt, consumers' health are being put at serious risk, often without realising it,' she said. 'It should not be this hard to eat healthily. 'We now need the government to stop pandering to industry interests and introduce mandatory salt reduction targets with real consequences for non-compliance.' Dr Pauline Swift, chair of the charity Blood Pressure UK, also called for action. 'Excess salt in our food is directly linked to raised blood pressure–the biggest risk factor for strokes, heart disease and kidney disease–all of which are completely avoidable,' she said. 'The government must act now to enforce stronger salt reduction targets and protect public health before even more lives are needlessly lost.' Professor Bryan Williams OBE, chief medical and scientific officer at the British Heart Foundation, added: 'This concerning data shows it is not always straightforward for people to find ready meals which are low in salt. 'Food companies must do more to reduce salt in their products, so that the healthy options are more easily available.' The NHS warns that too much fat in your diet, especially saturated fats, can raise your cholesterol, which in turn increases the risk of heart disease. On the other hand, getting enough fibre, also called roughage, helps with digestion, preventing constipation and is also linked with a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and bowel cancer. Ready meals are now considered a staple of the modern British diet with surveys suggesting three out of four people consuming at least one per week. The Department of Health and Social Care was contacted for comment. Action on Salt's analysis of ready meals was based on products surveyed in January of this year.
