Excessive use of salt may increase stroke risk: study

By Fahim Patel Apr 26th, 2012 ( No Comment )

Washington: The increased level of sodium was found to have connections with the risk of stroke in ten-year time, a study said.

A study published in the journal Stroke surveyed 2,657 men and women from New York and found that majority consumed almost 3,000 milligrams of sodium per day which is twice as recommended by American Heart Association (AHA).

At the start of the study all the participants were around 69 years of age. They were all given a questionnaire about their diet and lifestyle.

235 cases of stroke were reported during the study period (of ten years). It was found that people who consumed more than 4,000 milligrams of sodium were three times more likely to suffer from a stroke than people who consumed less than 1,500 milligrams of sodium.

According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), someone in the United States has a stroke every 40 seconds. Every four minutes someone dies of stroke.

The risk of stroke depends on certain factors like heredity, age, gender and ethnicity. However, the risk can be reduced by leading life in a healthy way.