Adding salt to your food may increase your risk of stomach cancer by 40%, according to a new study.
Research published in the journal *Gastric Cancer* analyzed data from over 500,000 people in the United Kingdom, excluding those with pre-existing cancer or kidney problems.
“We found that participants who always added salt to food at the table had a 41% greater risk of developing gastric cancer compared to those who never or rarely added salt,” the study reported.
Stomach cancer is the fifth most common cancer globally, according to the National Cancer Institute, which notes, “It is more common in countries in East Asia, Eastern Europe, and South and Central America than in the United States and other Western countries.”
The organization also highlights that “eating a diet that is low in fruits and vegetables or that is high in salted, smoked, or poorly preserved foods may increase the risk of stomach cancer.”
As the recent study indicates, Asian populations experience high rates of stomach cancer due to “high intakes of salt, salted fish, pickled foods, and processed meats.”
“While our study, based on a large cohort, suggests that always adding salt to food at the table is also associated with a higher risk of gastric cancer in Western populations, it has several limitations.
Case numbers in our study were not sufficient to evaluate the influence of potential modifiers such as sex, age, ethnicity, H. pylori infection, or smoking status,” the study stated.
“Individuals who add more salt are also more likely to consume foods with higher sodium content; thus, and given that dietary salt intake is prone to measurement error, true associations between salt intake and gastric cancer risk could be stronger than those observed in this study,” the study added.
Cancer rates in the U.S. are on the rise; a recent report forecasts that 2 million people will be diagnosed with cancer this year, the highest number ever recorded.
“Americans consume more than 3,400 milligrams (mg) of sodium per day, on average,” according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, which notes that the federal recommendation is 2,300 mg of sodium.
Those at high risk of stomach cancer can undergo screening with an endoscopy, the National Cancer Institute advises.
However, stomach cancer is generally not diagnosed at an early stage, which often results in poorer outcomes.
“Stomach cancer is often advanced when it is diagnosed,” the National Cancer Institute explains. “At advanced stages, stomach cancer can be treated but is rarely cured.”
