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Action on Salt

2. Lower blood pressure

     

Use the images above to explore why and how you should reduce your salt intake

Salt and your health

Small amounts of salt are essential for our health, however we need less than a gram. Current intakes in the UK are about 8.6g/person/day, much more than the amount we need. The Government recommends that we should be aiming to eat less than 6g of salt per day. 

High blood pressure, through the heart attacks and strokes it causes, is the biggest cause of death worldwide. Eating too much salt puts up our blood pressure and therefore puts our health at risk. Over a long period of time, reducing salt intake can help to prevent the rise in blood pressure that occurs with age. 

The good news is that it's never to late! Any reductions that you make to your salt intake can be beneficial to your health by reducing your blood pressure and therefore reducing your risk of heart attacks, heart failure and stroke later in life.

Download our 'salt and your health' leaflet for more information about the effect that a high salt diet has on your health. 

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