Vienna: A new study has found that sprinkling salt on top of food can increase the risk of stomach cancer to an alarming extent.
Researchers from the Center for Public Health at the University of Vienna examined data from 471,144 British individuals obtained from the UK Biobank.
The study found that people who added salt to their food had a 41 percent higher risk of stomach cancer than those who sprinkled salt sparingly.
Previous studies in China, Japan and Korea have linked salty foods to stomach cancer, but this is the first study to look at the link in people living in a Western country.
Although the research in Austria was observational, previous studies have shown that excess salt can erode the protective lining of the stomach, causing tissue damage and the formation of cancerous mutations.
The study’s lead author, Salma Kronsteiner-Guccio, from the University of Vienna, said that the study shows that the link between excess salt in food and stomach cancer is also found in Western countries.
According to the researchers, sprinkling a little salt on the food does not seem to cause any harm, but this practice on a regular basis can be harmful to health.
