Young men consuming an alarming amount of salt

According to a study carried out by the Sahlgrenska Academy and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, young Swedish men are consuming at least double the recommended amount of salt.

Salt in food is found largely in ready meals such as pizza and frozen meat hash, but it is also in bread, cheese, meat sandwich fillings, fish products, breakfast cereals and other products produced by the food industry. An earlier Danish study has shown that only a tenth of the salt that we consume comes from our own salt cellars.

Study concluded that high salt intake can be associated to high blood pressure, but researchers couldn’t detect any connection in this study. High blood pressure doesn’t usually develop until a person is in their 30s or 40s, since the kidneys’ ability to deal with the excess salt deteriorates with age

The study included almost a hundred men in their twenties. Urine samples from all participants were analysed over a 24-hour period. The participants also answered questions about their eating habits. The urine samples showed that the young men were consuming at least two times the World Health Organisation’s recommended daily intake of six grams.