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In Asian countries where salty foods are common, a link between salt intake and stomach cancer has already been established. A new long-term study by MedUni Vienna shows for the first time that this risk is also reflected in European cancer statistics.
This analysis, recently published in the journal Stomach Cancer, shows that people who frequently add salt to their meals are about 40% more likely to develop stomach cancer than those who don't use a salt shaker at the table.
Data from more than 470,000 adults from the UK-Biobank, a large UK cohort study, was analyzed. Among other things, the answer to the question “How often do you add salt to your food?” is important. Collected by questionnaire between 2006 and 2010.
The research team, led by Selma Kronsteiner-Gicevic and Tilman Kühn from the MedUni Vienna Public Health Center, compared their findings with urinary salt excretion and national cancer registry data.
The researchers found that people who said they always or often added salt to their food were more likely to have stomach cancer over an 11-year observation period than those who never or rarely added a pinch of salt to their food. They found that they were 39% more likely to
“Our results held up to consideration of demographic, socio-economic and lifestyle factors, and were equally valid for common comorbidities,” says first author Selma Kronsteiner-Jicevic.
The number of young people suffering from stomach cancer is increasing.
Stomach cancer ranks fifth in the list of the most common cancer types worldwide. The risk of this tumor disease increases with age, and the latest statistics paint an alarming picture of an increase in adults under 50. Risk factors include tobacco and alcohol consumption, Helicobacter pylori infection, being overweight, and obesity.
The fact that a very salty diet increases the risk of stomach cancer has been previously established in studies in Asian populations that frequently eat salted foods, salted fish, or very salty marinades and sauces. .
“Our study shows a link between the frequency of salt addition and gastric cancer, even in Western countries,” Kronsteiner-Jicevic emphasizes.
“With our study, we hope to raise awareness of the negative effects of extremely high salt intake and provide the basis for measures to prevent stomach cancer,” summarized study leader Dr. Kuhn. I am.
Further information: Selma Kronsteiner-Gicevic et al, Added salt to table foods as an indicator of gastric cancer risk in adults: a prospective study, Gastric Cancer (2024). DOI: 10.1007/s10120-024-01502-9