People who add table salt to their food are at a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a new study.
The study uses the frequency with which one adds salt to their food as a means of assessing their overall sodium intake, including sodium that is cooked into the foods they eat.
It may be that sodium promotes hypertension and inflammation, both known risk factors for type 2 diabetes.
The study found that those who said they “sometimes, “usually,” and “always” added salt to their meals appeared to increase their risk of type 2 diabetes by 11%, 18%, and 25%, respectively, compared to those who added salt “never” or “rarely.”
These included age, sex, education level, income, smoking status, level of physical activity, alcohol consumption, and the Townsend deprivation index.
The deprivation index results in a composite measurement of several lifestyle factors, including unemployment, non-car ownership, non-home ownership, and household overcrowding.
Participants were followed for a mean of 11.9 years, by which time 13,120 people had developed type 2 diabetes.
The risk of type 2 diabetes for people with a higher BMI and a less favorable waist-to-hip ratio was increased further for the “sometimes, “usually,” and “always” people by 33.8%, 39.9%, and 8.6%, respectively.
The study is published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
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