Frequent salt addition at the table escalates gastric cancer risk by 41%

A recent study in Gastric Cancer explored how often people in the UK add table salt to their meals and its connection to stomach cancer risk. Concerns about rising stomach cancer rates globally, particularly among younger individuals, prompted this investigation. While dietary salt intake is associated with higher gastric cancer rates in Asian populations, evidence from Western cultures, especially case-control studies, remains scarce. Salt can damage stomach mucosa, increasing susceptibility to Helicobacter pylori infection and cancer risk through various mechanisms. Researchers analyzed data from 471,144 individuals in the UK Biobank, excluding those with prior cancer or renal illness and incomplete data. Over an 11-year follow-up, 640 stomach cancer cases were identified. Multivariate analysis revealed a 40% higher gastric cancer risk in frequent salt users, with a positive linear relationship between urine sodium levels and salt addition frequency. These findings underscore the need for further research to better understand salt intake's impact on stomach cancer risk.