New Research Finds How High Salt Intake Doubles Heart Failure Risk

It isn't just high blood pressure but high intake of salt also doubles the risk of heart failure. A recent study showed how people who consume more than 13.7 grams of salt daily may be at two times higher risk of heart failure compared to those consuming less than 6.8 grams.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the daily intake of salt should be maximum five grams per day and the physiological need is two-three grams per day.

"The heart does not like salt. High salt (sodium chloride) intake is one of the major causes of high blood pressure and an independent risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke," said Pekka Jousilahti, professor at the National Institute for Health and Welfare, Finland.

For the study 4,630 women and men aged 25 to 64 in Finland were followed for over 12 years. Samples of their urine were tested to gauge their salt intake.

The researchers divided the participants into five groups based on their salt intake; the low-salt group consumed less than 6.8 grams a day and the highest had more than 13.7 grams a day. Over the course of the study, 121 men and women developed new heart failure.

The results showed that the group consuming the most salt were 2.1 times more likely to develop heart failure and the group who ate the second highest amount of salt, between 10.96 - 13.7 grams were 1.7 times more likely.

The results were presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Barcelona.