If you like to season your food with an extra portion of salt, you may want to ditch the salt shaker now, as new research has linked this seasoning to an increased risk of stomach cancer.

Of course, salt is important for adding flavor to bland dishes, but a recent study suggests that high salt consumption can increase the risk of stomach cancer by around 40%.

Researchers at MedUni Vienna investigated how often food is salted at the table and to what extent this leads to a risk of stomach cancer in British adults.

The team analyzed data from 471,144 adults in the United Kingdom, the so-called UK Biobank. However, people with cancer or kidney problems were not included in the study.

The results were recently published in the journal Gastric Cancer and show that people who added salt to their food at the table had a 41 percent higher risk of developing stomach cancer than people who never or rarely added salt.

The results were obtained after an average follow-up period of 10.9 years among the participants, during which the researchers recorded 640 cases of cancer.

However, the authors emphasize that the study is not without limitations.

“Although our study based on a large cohort suggests that consistent salting of food at the table is also associated with a higher risk of gastric cancer in Western populations, it has several limitations. The number of cases in our study was insufficient to evaluate the influence of potential modifiers such as gender, age, ethnicity, H. pylori infection or smoking status,” the study states.

The researchers also point out that people who add more salt to their food are likely to already be consuming foods with a higher sodium content.

This means that the actual association between salt intake and stomach cancer risk may be higher because the study data did not take into account participants’ total dietary sodium intake.

The link between salt consumption and stomach cancer

The results linking people who “always add salt to their food” at the table and stomach cancer are similar to previous findings from a recent pooled analysis of 25 case-control studies conducted in the Americas, Asia and several European countries. These studies have shown a positive association between added salt and stomach cancer.

Further studies also suggested a higher risk of stomach cancer among Asian populations who consume high levels of salt, salted fish, pickled foods and processed meat.

However, smaller studies from Europe that used other indicators, such as a person’s total dietary sodium intake, have shown some inconsistencies.

While more research is needed on the topic of salt intake and stomach cancer risk, the study authors say the findings of the recent study could serve as a message to the public to reduce overall sodium intake at both the individual and population level.

The charity Action On Salt explains that the main risk factor for stomach cancer, responsible for one in three stomach cancers, is the bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori).

It can cause inflammation and stomach ulcers, which can develop into stomach cancer. Salt has also been found to increase the effects of H. pylori.

Stomach cancer is the 17th most common cancer in the UK, accounting for 2% of all new cancer cases.

In the UK there are around 6,500 new cases of stomach cancer each year, or 18 per day.

Symptoms may include indigestion, loss of appetite, bloating, bleeding, blood in the stool, blood clots, pain and/or nausea.

How much salt should our diet contain?

The NHS recommends that adults should consume no more than 6g of salt a day (about 1 level teaspoon), but Action On Salt says the average salt intake is currently around 8g a day and many people eat even more.

Four to six year olds should not consume more than 3 g, seven to ten year olds no more than 5 g and from 11 years of age 6 g.

Babies should not consume a lot of salt because their kidneys are not yet fully developed and cannot process the salt.

This includes both the salt that is already contained in our food and the salt that is added during and after cooking.

The health authority warns that too much salt consumption can lead to high blood pressure, which in turn increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

And there are other health problems associated with a high-salt diet.

“High sodium intake from salty foods is associated with poor sleep quality,” explains Kerry Beeson, BSc nutritional therapist at Prep Kitchen.

“It can lead to water retention, which encourages nighttime urination. If your bladder often wakes you up at night, consider whether you are eating too much salt – aim for less than 5-6g daily.

Sodium (in salt) also depletes our magnesium stores.

“Magnesium helps your brain and muscles relax, and it also helps balance levels of sleep hormones like melatonin,” adds Beeson.

The problem is that it is very easy to unknowingly consume too much salt, as around three-quarters of the salt we consume comes from the packaged and everyday foods we buy, including bread, breakfast cereals, meat products and ready meals.

The NHS suggests some ways to reduce your salt intake, including:

• Use herbs and spices to season your food instead of salt

• Check the salt information on food labels and choose lower-salt foods

• Try low-salt or reduced-salt versions of dishes and sauces

• Buy canned vegetables, legumes or fish in water instead of brine

• Reducing the consumption of foods high in salt, such as sausage and fish, cheese, olives and pickled vegetables

• Switch to healthier snacks, such as simple rice cakes, fruit, vegetable sticks or unsalted nuts

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