Salt and cancer
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Cancer of the stomach
Salt intake is closely related to cancer of the stomach (1, 2) (Fig 1) and is likely to be an important pre-disposing cause. Salt in the concentration found in many processed or instant foods, eg instant soups, soya sauce, is a profound gastric irritant. It is proposed that a high salt intake strips the lining of the stomach and may pre-dispose the individual to H-pylori infection (3).
Figure 1. Relationship between salt intake as judged by 24h urinary salt excretion and stomach cancer mortality in 24 countries. (Adapted from Ref. 1)
References
(1) Joossens J V, Hill M J, Elliott P, Stamler R, Lesaffre E, Dyer A, Nichols R, Kesteloot H. Dietary salt, nitrate and stomach cancer mortality in 24 countries. European Cancer Prevention (ECP) and the INTERSALT Cooperative Research Group. Int J Epidemiol. 1996;25:494-504.
(2) Nagata C, Takatsuka N, Shimizu N, Shimizu H. Sodium intake and risk of death from stroke in Japanese men and women. Stroke. 2004;35:1543-7.
(3) Beevers D G, Lip G Y, Blann A D. Salt intake and Helicobacter pylori infection. J Hypertensipn 2004;22:1475-7.