(ANSA) – ROME, MARCH 31 – Excessive salt consumption is linked to the formation of atherosclerotic plaques in the carotids, the arteries that cross the neck, and in the vessels that supply the heart: the coronaries. This happens even if blood pressure levels are normal. It is the result of a study coordinated by the Karolinska Institutet of Stockholm and published in the European Heart Journal – Open.
The research took into consideration the data of over 10,000 Swedes between the ages of 50 and 64 involved in a large research project on cardiovascular health (Swedish CArdioPulmonary bioImage Study – SCAPIS). The team found that increasing salt consumption corresponds to an increased risk of atherosclerosis, both in the arteries of the neck and in those of the heart. In particular, for each additional gram of sodium excreted in the urine, there was up to a 17% increase in risk aggravation associated with the presence of plaques in the arteries.
“The results show that the more salt people eat, the higher the atherosclerotic plaque burden in the arteries of the heart and neck,” study lead author Jonas Wuopio said in a statement. “Interestingly, the findings were also confirmed when we narrowed our analyzes to participants with normal blood pressure (below 140/90 mmHg) or those with no known cardiovascular disease. This means that it is not just patients with hypertension or patients who need to control their salt intake,” Wuopio concluded.
(ANSA).
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