At present and after 40 years of studies on the subject, the team of Professor Pasquale Strazullo, (Medical University of Naples) confirms the link between salt consumption and cardiovascular mortality. Over a period from 1966 to 2008, the researchers analyzed nearly 13 studies involving more than 177,000 participants in different countries (United States, Finland, Japan, Netherlands, Scotland and Taiwan). The salt consumption of these volunteers was monitored and evaluated in their daily diet, by questionnaires or by urine dosage.

All this to come to the conclusion that by reducing our salt consumption by 5 grams per day, we could avoid millions of deaths caused by cardiovascular diseases. This means that one teaspoon less of salt could save 4 million lives annually.

It is quite difficult to evaluate one's own salt consumption, as it is hidden in many of the industrial foods we eat. Researchers estimate that daily salt consumption in most industrialized countries is close to 10 to 12 grams on average, while the WHO target is 5 grams per day. It is quite astounding to know that an excess daily consumption of only 5 grams of salt promotes hypertension and consequently increases the risk of heart attack by 23% and the risk of cardiovascular disease by 17%. A small reduction in salt intake of 6 grams per day is sufficient to reduce systolic pressure by 7 mm Hg and diastolic pressure by 4 mm Hg.

First of all, industrial foods (prepared meals and soups, bread, breakfast cereals, pastries...) should be avoided as much as possible because hidden salts are the most important part of them.

Indeed, industrialists are well aware that salt, by contrast, has the property of enhancing sweet flavors, while inhibiting bitter tastes, which is why they introduce it generously in pastries, pastries, ice cream, chocolate and most sweet products since it is a "hiding place" that can give taste at low cost to products of poor quality.

Some researchers having discovered this, have been fighting for years against the food industry at least in order to set up a clear labeling allowing to better inform the consumer. Although the public authorities now recognize the harmfulness of excess salt, no measures have been taken to force manufacturers to reduce the amount of salt used in their recipes.

Think of using sea salt such as Guérande salt or Himalayan salt, which are much less harmful from a health point of view since they do not have the same chemical composition as industrial salt and contain calcium, magnesium or potassium, all minerals that will reduce their harmfulness.

Or even better, choose salt coupled with a chitosan extract whose chemical structure is different from that of Na Cl, the classic table salt. Numerous studies have shown that organic sensitivity to salt does not depend on the sodium ion (Na) alone, but on the association between sodium and chlorine that forms sodium chloride. It would be indeed the connection between these ions that would be harmful to health and circulation.

And good news, there is currently a patented process that has made it possible to modify this bond by coupling a particular form of chitosan, a natural substance extracted from shellfish. Studies have been conducted on 2 groups of hypertensive subjects. One group consumed 10 grams of salt (sodium chloride) per day and the other group consumed 10 g of chitosan salt. The measurements carried out each weekend showed that normal salt increased blood pressure by about 7mmHg, while salt with chitosan decreased blood pressure by about 3mmHg.

And if you decide to reduce the amount of salt you use, don't worry, it will be easy to do so, because your taste buds will quickly get used to the true flavor of the food. And to think that by reducing the amount of salt ingested by only 5 grams per day (equivalent to one teaspoon), we can avoid 1.25 million deaths from heart attacks and almost 3 million deaths from cardiovascular disease is a good motivation, isn't it?