The Study
Sodium Intake and All-Cause Mortality Over 20 Years in the Trials of Hypertension Prevention.
This study found that people who ate more salt over many years were more likely to die sooner, but it doesn’t prove that salt made them die — maybe other things like their diet or exercise habits played a role too.
Analysis score
Maximum 72 for a cohort study.
Where the score came from
Scientists tracked people who ate more or less salt and found that those who ate more salt over many years were more likely to die sooner.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 559 / 100
Quality score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — even salt intake below the recommended 2,300 mg/day was linked to higher death risk, suggesting less salt may be better for long life.
- 2People with 1,000 mg more salt per day had a 12% higher chance of dying.
- 3Those with higher salt and lower potassium had a 13% higher chance.
- 4People who tried to eat less salt had 15% fewer deaths, but it wasn't certain enough to count.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Journal of the American College of Cardiology
Year
2016
Authors
N. Cook, L. Appel, P. Whelton
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.