The appearance of stomach cancer can be influenced by our food choices. And among them is adding salt to our plate. A British study shows that people who have this reflex have a 41% additional risk of stomach cancer!
The fifth most common cancer worldwide, stomach cancer is influenced by different factors. Among them we find eating habits and in particular the fact of consuming too much salt, with the bad habit of systematically adding it to one's plate.
640 cases of stomach cancer discovered during the study
This prospective study used data from the UK Biobank which has 471,144 participants. The scientists immediately excluded participants whose dietary habits in terms of salt were not informed, but also those whose body mass index (BMI) or urinary sodium or potassium levels were not mentioned. . Just like the volunteers who had cancer or kidney disease.
The remaining individuals – almost 200,000 people – were given several questionnaires to indicate how often they added salt to their food, excluding the salt they use during cooking. Participants could respond according to four items: never/rarely, sometimes, generally or always.
The researchers additionally measured the participants' urinary sodium, creatinine, and potassium levels. They were also able to estimate urinary sodium excretion around the clock. During the follow-up period, which lasted almost 11 years, 640 cases of gastric cancer among the participants were documented.
An increased risk of stomach cancer by 41%!
Although they found that adding salt to foods more often was associated with increased 24-hour urinary sodium levels, the scientists did not find a significant association between 24-hour urinary sodium levels. and gastric cancer.
In contrast, they found that participants who always added salt to the table had a 41% increased risk of having gastric cancer compared to participants who never or rarely added salt to their food. The researchers note several limitations to their work, including the fact that the data provided by participants is not very precise or that the volunteers from the British biobank are not representative of the general population.
NO to diets, YES to WW!
Learn to reduce the salt on your plate
However, getting into the habit of adding less salt to your dishes is a healthy recommendation that everyone should adopt. Indeed, the sodium contained in salt is known to increase blood pressure and can cause kidney problems. A dietitian, Karen Z. Berg, interviewed by Medical News Today gives her advice:
“Taste your food first, and most often you won't need to add salt. Also, it's best to cook without salt and use spices to enhance flavors. Salt can be added later if you have absolutely feels like it's necessary. Your taste buds get used to salt, and the more salt you add to your food, the more you'll want it. So I tell people to really be aware of that and try to. remove salt as much as possible from their daily diet,” she concludes.
Slide: 10 magical spices: unsuspected virtues
