Salt

Reviewed by Dr Roger Henderson, GP

What is salt?

Adults should eat less than 6g salt a day.

Salt (sodium) is one of the minerals that the body needs on a daily basis. Together with potassium, it helps to regulate the body's water levels.

Sodium is the one mineral that we need to reduce in our diet.

What are the risks of a high salt diet?

On average we eat nine grams of salt per day. The more salt you eat, the higher your blood pressure.

High blood pressure is a risk factor for heart disease because it means your heart has to work harder to push blood around your body.

This extra pressure puts strain on your arteries that carry blood, which can weaken and clog with fatty deposits.

Too much salt is also thought to be linked to an increased risk of stomach cancer. In 2004, an 11-year study of 40,000 Japanese found people with the highest salt intakes doubled their risk of stomach cancer.

Small studies have also linked high salt levels with an increased risk of osteoporosis and a worsening of asthma symptoms.

More research is needed to confirm the effect of salt intake on osteoporosis, asthma symptoms and stomach cancer.

How much salt should we be eating?

Adults should eat no more than six grams of salt a day. This is roughly equal to one teaspoonful.

Children under 11 should be eating less than this:

• 1 to 3 years - 2g salt a day (0.8g sodium)
• 4 to 6 years - 3g salt a day (1.2g sodium)
• 7 to 10 years - 5g salt a day (2g sodium).

I don't add salt to food - do I need to worry?

Three quarters of the salt we eat comes from food we buy. This means you can easily exceed the recommended daily limit.

A single slice of bread can contain 0.5g of salt. So a sandwich (2 slices bread 1g) with a slice of ham (0.8g) and mayo (0.2g) can contain a third of your daily allowance (2g).

What should I look for on the label?

On food labels, the salt content is often given as grams of sodium. To convert sodium to grams of salt, multiply the quantity by 2.5.

An adult's daily limit is about 2.5g of sodium.

Sometimes the only figure on the label is per 100g, not for the product itself.

A standard ready meal weighs about 500g. At 0.5g sodium (1.2g salt) per 100g it would contain 2.5g sodium (6g salt) - your total daily intake.

How much is too much?

According to the Foods Standards Agency (FSA):

• 0.6g sodium (1.5g salt) per 100g food is a lot
• 0.1g sodium (0.3g salt) per 100g is low.

How can I cut down on salt?

You can reduce levels of salt in your diet by:

• not adding salt to meals
• not using salt when cooking, including stock cubes that are high in sodium
• choosing foods that contain 0.1g sodium or less per 100g
• switching everyday foods such as bread, cereal and tinned foods to reduced salt options
• limiting salty foods such as crisps, salted nuts, bacon, cheese, pickles and smoked fish.