Adding salt to every meal bumps diabetes risk by 39%. Warns 11‑year study

Scientists surveyed 400,000 Britons on their salt consumption patterns

They discovered that adding salt to every meal increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by a staggering 39%! When compared to individuals who "never" or "rarely" used salt, those who added salt to their meals "sometimes" had a 13 percent higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Regularly adding salt to meals increased these chances to 20 percent.

"Our study demonstrated a clear association between the frequency of salting meals and an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. This further confirms the view that reducing the amount of added salt in meals can be an effective behavioral intervention to prevent type 2 diabetes." - says Dr. Lu Qi from Tulane University, the co-author of the study.

This latest study adds to a growing body of evidence highlighting the dangers of excessive salt consumption. Prior research demonstrated that high salt intake can contribute to atherosclerosis, heart attacks, stroke, dementia, and cognitive impairment. Over-salting meals also significantly increases the risk of kidney disease, kidney stones, and stomach cancer.

Diabetes significantly impacts the lives of three million Polish people. In up to 90 percent of cases, the diagnosis is type 2 diabetes, a condition in which the body either doesn't produce enough insulin or doesn't respond adequately to it.

Type 2 diabetes can have a genetic basis, but it's often the result of lifestyle factors, such as an unsuitable diet, including excessive salt consumption, and a lack of physical activity. Recent research and scientific literature suggest that a vitamin D deficiency might also be linked to the disease.

The most common symptoms of diabetes include frequent urination, insatiable thirst, chronic fatigue, weight loss despite normal or increased appetite, vision problems, sweet body odor, and frequent recurring skin infections along with slow wound healing.

If left untreated, diabetes can result in serious complications like heart diseases, kidney failure, nerve damage, vision problems, and premature death.