Stomach cancer ranks fifth among the most common types of cancer worldwide and in Spain it is estimated that 6,868 new cases will be diagnosed in 2024, according to data from the latest report ‘Cancer figures in Spain’. The risk of suffering from this disease increases with age, but the latest statistics show a worrying increase in adults under 50 years of age.
Risk factors for stomach cancer include tobacco and alcohol use, Helicobacter pylori infection, being overweight and obese. In addition, a diet high in salt has already been shown to increase the risk of stomach cancer in studies with Asian population groups, who frequently consume foods preserved in salt, highly salted or marinated fish, and extremely salty sauces. Now, a long-term study by the Medical University of Vienna has shown for the first time that this risk is also reflected in cancer statistics in Europe.
The results of the research have recently been published in the specialized journal Gastric Cancer and reveal that people who often add salt to their food are approximately 40% more likely to develop stomach cancer than those who do not use the salt shaker at the table.
Harmful health effects of salt consumption
The researchers analyzed data from more than 471,144 adults included in the large British cohort study ‘UK-Biobank’ and, among other things, collected their responses to the question: ‘How often do you add salt to your food?’ using a questionnaire conducted between 2006 and 2010. The research team, led by Selma Kronsteiner-Gicevic and Tilman Kühn from the Center for Public Health at MedUni Vienna, compared the survey results with salt excretion in urine and with data from national cancer registries.
The analysis revealed that people who indicated they always or frequently added salt to their food had a 39% higher risk of developing stomach cancer over an observation period of about 11 years, compared to those who never or rarely added an extra pinch. of salt to your food. “Our results also held true after considering demographic, socioeconomic and lifestyle factors, and were equally valid for prevalent comorbidities,” said Selma Kronsteiner-Gicevic, first author of the study, highlighting the importance of the results.
“We want to raise awareness about the negative effects of extremely high salt consumption and provide a basis for stomach cancer prevention measures”
“Our research shows the connection between the frequency with which salt is added and stomach cancer also in Western countries,” emphasizes the researcher. “With our study, we want to raise awareness about the negative effects of extremely high salt consumption and provide a basis for preventive measures against stomach cancer,” summarizes Tilman Kühn, leader of the study.
“Always adding salt to food” at the table was associated with an increased risk of gastric cancer in a large sample of UK adults. The high frequency of adding salt to foods at the table can potentially serve as a useful indicator of salt intake for surveillance purposes and a basis for designing easy-to-understand public health messages, the authors conclude in their article.
