Adding salt to food is associated with a significantly increased risk of developing stomach cancer. According to a recent study, regular salting increases the risk of stomach cancer by 39 percent.
A research team including experts from Queen's University Belfast has investigated whether the frequency of adding salt to food is linked to the risk of stomach cancer. The corresponding study results can be read in the English-language specialist journal “Gastric Cancer”.
Connection between salt and stomach cancer?
According to the researchers, there was already evidence of a connection between salt consumption and stomach cancer in Asian countries where high-salt foods are very popular. The new long-term study shows a similar risk in European cancer statistics.
For the study, the team evaluated data from more than 470,000 adults who took part in the UK Biobank study. They stated in a questionnaire how often they consumed salt.
The results of the survey were compared with the participants' salt excretion in their urine and also with data from national cancer registries.
Adding salt increases the risk of stomach cancer
The team found that participants who said they always or often added salt to their food had a 39 percent increased risk of developing stomach cancer over an observation period of about eleven years, compared to people who never or rarely added salt to their food.
“Our results also held up when demographic, socioeconomic and lifestyle factors were taken into account and also applied to prevalent comorbidities,” adds study author Selma Kronsteiner-Gicevic in a press release.
Risk factors for stomach cancer
The previously known risk factors for stomach cancer include, for example, tobacco and alcohol consumption, infection with Helicobacter pylori, overweight and obesity. The results of the new study make it clear that salt intake also appears to play an extremely important role.
“Our research shows the connection between the frequency of added salt and stomach cancer even in Western countries,” says Kronsteiner-Gicevic.
“With our study, we want to raise awareness of the negative effects of extremely high salt consumption and create a basis for measures to prevent stomach cancer,” adds study author Tilman Kühn. Avoiding additional salt could make an important contribution to reducing the risk of cancer. (as)
