If the food industry and US government collaborated to lower salt intake by ten per cent, thousands of heart attacks could be avoided, it has been claimed.
Research conducted at the Stanford University School of Medicine and the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System in California created computer models to determine the potential number of lives that could be saved by reducing salt consumption.
It was found that by reducing salt consumption by 9.5 per cent a total of 531,885 strokes and 480,358 heart attacks would be prevented.
Study author Dr Crystal Smith-Spangler said: "Per person on average it is a very small decrease in blood pressure, but over large populations, we saw a significant reduction in cardiovascular disease and in cost savings."
Earlier this year, the Wall Street Journal reported that some companies are quietly reducing the levels of salt in their flagship brands as part of a move to reduce American's salt intake by at least 20 per cent by 2014.
Posted By Lauren Cook
