A Common Ingredient Could Reduce Life Expectancy

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A common ingredient many of us reach for could reduce our life expectancy.
According to Sky News, a new study has found that adding salt to our food could reduce life expectancy by up to two years.
The research, published in the European Heart Journal, looked at more than 500,000 people and found that those who add salt to their food have a 28 percent chance of premature death compared to those who never or rarely add salt.
The study, led by Professor Lu Qi of Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans, found that the risk of premature death linked to added salt was slightly reduced in people who ate more fruit and vegetables.
“In the Western diet, adding salt at the table accounts for 6%-20% of total salt intake and provides a unique way to evaluate the association between habitual sodium intake and the risk of death,” Professor Lu Qi said in a statement reported by Sky News.
“Because our study is the first to report a relation between adding salt to foods and mortality, further studies are needed to validate the findings before making recommendations,” Dr. Qi said.