We know a high salt diet raises the risk of high blood pressure, but in truth, the impact of excess salt goes far beyond that.

Regularly eating too much salt puts strain on the heart, brain, kidneys and blood vessels, increasing the risk of serious health conditions such as heart attack, heart failure, stroke, kidney disease, vascular dementia, osteoporosis, and stomach cancer.

Despite these risks, many people in the UK – and around the world – are still unknowingly consuming far more salt than recommended. Much of the salt we consume isn’t added at home but instead is already present in the everyday foods we buy and eat. 

Recent insights show over half of the UK population are not confident in estimating their daily salt intake, and average consumption in the UK currently stands at 8.4g a day - well above the recommended maximum of 6g. As salt intake remains high, so too will rates of high blood pressure and the risk of serious health conditions. 

Reducing salt is one of the simplest and most impactful ways to improve our health. In practise, this can be small individual acts - such as cutting down on salt added at the table and choosing lower-salt alternatives - but also, crucially, systemic action from the food industry and government is needed to reduce salt across the food supply. 

This Salt Awareness Week, Action on Salt is making sure everyone knows the facts, and are calling on the government and the food industry to do more to protect public health and Salt It Out for good.  

Check out the Healthy choices - low salt shopping guide