High salt intake known to increase risk of cancer

Cancer is a very powerful enemy of the human population mainly spreading its tentacles across the entire globe. It is the major concern in Asian countries. It has been evidenced that cancer spreads to many parts of the body if not detected early or treated properly. Though chemotherapy, radiations and some medications are available in the treatment protocols, however cancer is not completely curable in later stages. The main cause of cancer being unknown, it is anticipated that majority of cancers are arising due to spontaneous mutations, genetic imbalance and other factors such as exposure to chemical or physical agents, so called carcinogens, radiations etc. Out of many types of cancers, stomach cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer and prostate cancers are more common.

 

The World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) anticipated that very high salt intake in the diet could be one of the reasons of increasing the risk of cancers. It has also been reported in published articles of WHO, World Health Organizations, that consuming high salt foods or high salt preserved foods can increase the risk of stomach cancer. It is recommended to avoid high salt and preserved foods.  Especially foods with high salt content such as pickles are highly responsible for causing H. pylori infections in the stomach, affecting the stomach lining. Hence foods with high salt content must be reduced or avoided. In addition to the fact that high salt intake is associated with stomach cancer, consuming less of fruits and vegetables is also associated to trigger the conditions that increase the growth of cancer cells. Hence it must be noted that avoiding high salt diet and incorporating diet rich in fruits and vegetables could be very beneficial. 

How much salt is ok? Eating salt upto 6 g or 2 teaspoons per day is considered ok for your health. Please make sure to use iodised salt. Iodine plays a very important role in regulating your thyroid hormones. Lack of iodine is associated with thyroid disorders, goitre and thyroid cancer. Therefore consuming iodised salt is recommended. However do not cross the limits. Since consuming very high salty foods every day is not at a good idea. 

How to make your meal tasty without adding high salt content?

You may find an alternative to using sodium salt. There are other types of salts available such as rock salts also known as saindhav salts, could be added to your food and garnished with ginger, pepper, lemon and little bit of spice or herb.