Excessive salt intake linked to 39% higher risk of type 2 diabetes

Key points from article :

A study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings found that adding salt to food on a regular basis may increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

The study was carried out at the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in the US.

The researchers looked at data from 402,982 adults in the UK Biobank and assessed how often they added salt to their foods using questionnaires.

They found that people who self-reported “sometimes”, “usually” or “always” adding salt to their food had a 13%, 20% and 39% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes respectively, compared to those who “never” or “rarely” used it.

This study is the first to show that adding salt to food on a regular basis may increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

The NHS recommends adults should have no more than 6g (around one teaspoon) of salt a day.

You can reduce your salt intake by checking food labels and choosing those with less salt in them, and by using herbs and spices to add flavour to your food instead of salt.