High Salt Diet Ups Risk Of Stroke And Heart Disease

November 25, 2009 6:31 a.m. EST

Miami, FL (AHN) - Doctors are once again warning against a diet high in salt, saying it puts people at an increased risk of strokes and cardiovascular disease.

The researchers, with the World Health Organization's Collaborating Center for Nutrition and the European Society of Hypertension Excellence Center, looked at the relationship between the level of regular dietary salt intake and the occurrence of stroke and heart disease.

They reviewed 13 prospective studies in the United Kingdom, the United States, Japan, the Netherlands, Finland and China.

They said in a statement that lowering salt intake by 5 grams a day would cut stroke risk by 23 percent and total cardiovascular disease by 17 percent. This could save almost 4 million lives a year, according to the report.

The report is published in the British Medical Journal.