Study Finds that Reducing Sodium Intake Can Decrease CKD Deaths

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Eating too much salt can be bad for your health, and a new study from the George Institute of Global Health suggests that reducing your intake of salt could prevent up to 3% of all deaths from heart disease, kidney disease, and stomach cancer in Australia.

Sodium Intake Study

The study estimated the effect of reducing the average sodium intake for adults by 404 mg per day, which is equivalent to reducing the amount of salt you eat by 12%. This reduction would prevent more than 6,500 annual diagnoses of cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, and stomach cancer nationwide and reduce the number of disability-adjusted life years (DALY) for the three conditions by more than 25,000 years annually.

Lead investigator Kathy Trieu, PhD, MPH, stated

"In this study, we wanted to estimate the potential number of additional premature deaths, new cases of disease and years lived with disability that may be averted with the WHO sodium benchmarks, which are above and beyond the Australian government’s sodium reformulation targets."

The study was funded by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council Partnership Project and conducted by Trieu and a group of collaborators with the intent of building on their previous research. In a previous study, investigators used a statistical model to estimate the effects of a nationwide plan to reduce sodium intake among 27 packaged food categories. They found that the program could prevent 500 deaths and 1900 new cases of cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, and stomach cancer annually.

This new study builds on the previous one by estimating the impact of extending the plan to include all 58 packaged food categories included in World Health Organization (WHO) benchmarks using the same statistical model. By implementing the WHO sodium targets, investigators determined that the mean sodium intake among adults would decrease by 404 mg per day. As a result of this change, investigators determined this might prevent 1,770 deaths per year, which corresponds to 3% of all cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, and stomach cancer deaths in the country.

Further analysis indicated this reduction intake could prevent 6,900 new cases of cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, and stomach cancer as well as 25,700 DALYs per year from these diseases. Investigators pointed out that relative to the Australian targets, application of WHO benchmarks could prevent 3 times as many deaths each year.

Conclusion

The conclusion is clear, reducing your salt intake can have a big impact on your health. The study found that following the WHO's sodium benchmarks could prevent more than three times as many deaths and new cases of disease each year as compared to Australia's current sodium targets. So, be mindful of the amount of salt you eat, and try to reduce it where possible. The benefits to your health are substantial.

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Related Articles

What is Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)?

Sodium and the Renal Hemodialysis Diet

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References

Reduced Sodium Intake Could Prevent 3% of Annual Deaths from Cardiovascular and Chronic Kidney Disease

Estimated Dietary and Health Impact of the World Health Organization’s Global Sodium Benchmarks on Packaged Foods in Australia: a Modeling Study

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About the Author

Rich Foreman brings over 30 years of technology leadership to his role of CEO and Co-Founder of KidneySoft.  As founding CTO, Rich led the team that developed the CordicoShield / CordicoFire Wellness App. Cordico was honored with the Sacramento Innovation Award in 2021. After achieving a 7 digit ARR, Cordico was acquired by Lexipol in 2020. Rich has a BS in Industrial Engineering from the University of Washington, an MPA from Troy State University and was an officer in the U.S. Navy. Rich co-authored his book, "Tap into the Mobile Economy." Rich's blog was listed in Top 20 Marketing Mobile Blogs of 2014. He has been featured on KCRA3, NEWS10, 1170 Tech AM PowerDrive, Business Radio Money 105.5, SiliconIndia, the Sacramento Business Journal, and the Sacramento Bee. Rich is also the Founding Director of the Sacramento Chapter of Startup Grind and served a term as Utility Commissioner for the City of Folsom. Rich is a regular contributor to TechWire.net and StartupSac. Rich was the Co-founder of Apptology which was named Small Business of the Year in 2014 by the Sacramento Asian Pacific Chamber. He was also the Founding Chief Technology Officer at Cordico. Cordico was acquired by Lexipol in 2020.  Rich also served 4 years as a Naval Officer in the Civil Engineer Corps.

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Patient Education Disclaimer

This material is for informational purposes only. It does not replace the advice or counsel of a doctor or health care professional. KidneyLuv makes every effort to provide information that is accurate and timely, but makes no guarantee in this regard. You should consult with, and rely only on the advice of, your physician or health care professional.

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