Shocking! Study Reveals High Salt Intake Increases Diabetes Risk; Other Risk Factors

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The moment you hear of diabetes you tend to relate it with sugar. But have you ever heard of high salt intake leading to increased diabetes risk?

Well, this could be surprising for most of us. But yes, it is true. A new study has found that high salt intake increases the risk of diabetes.

During the study, researchers from the Institute of Environmental Medicine (IMM), Karolinska Institute in Sweden found that people who consumed more than 7.3gm salt a day showed a 72 per cent increased risk of diabetes compared to those who consumed below 6gm.

According to the findings of the study, for each 2.5 extra grams of salt consumed per day, there was an average 43 per cent increase in the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

This is not all, the study further found that higher salt intake was also linked with a high risk of developing Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults (LADA), a form of Type 1 diabetes in which the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas are destroyed by the body's own immune system.

The study was presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) 2017 in Lisbon.

Meanwhile, also learn about the other major risk factors for diabetes here.

Family History:
If any one in the family is suffering from diabetes than there are high chances of getting it passed on to the generations.

Obesity:
If you are obese then there are higher chances of developing Type 2 diabetes. This is because of the added pressure on the body's ability to use insulin to properly control the blood sugar levels.

Lack Of Sleep:
Sleep is very important in order to maintain the blood sugar level. Lack of sleep raises the level of blood sugar and insulin resistance.

Lack Of Exercise:
If you are a diabetic, there is too much of glucose production and the body fails to produce adequate insulin to process it. In such cases regular exercise helps to reduce the glucose level in the body. Hence, lack of exercise can pose risky for developing Type 2 diabetes.

Stress:
Stress is yet another risk factor for developing diabetes. The stress hormones directly affects the glucose level. The blood sugar level increases due to stress.