Summaries for patients. Are there cost-effective ways to help people eat less salt?

摘要

Salt increases blood pressure in many people. Eating less salt lowers blood pressure, and lower blood pressure prevents heart attacks, strokes, and kidney failure. However, many people find it very difficult to eat less salt, because many processed foods contain salt. Eating less salt often requires cooking for yourself or changing many of the things you eat. One way to get people to eat less salt is to have food companies reduce the salt they put in their products. Another way is to have a "salt tax," so that food with more salt costs more money. A salt tax might remind people that eating too much salt costs their health in the long-term by forcing them to pay a financial cost in the short-term. Whether these 2 ideas are effective is unknown.