Reducing the salt content of bread and processed foods could prevent thousands of deaths and significantly reduce mortality rates. heart disease Stroke rates are rising in France and the UK, according to two major new studies.

Excess sodium intake remains one of the major dietary risk factors for high blood pressure, which can lead to heart attacks, strokes, kidney disease, and dementia. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization It is recommended that adults consume less than 2,000 mg of sodium per day. Average intake remains much higher across Europe.

This research today high blood pressureThe Journal of the American Heart Association shows that small. Industry-led reform Changes that require no effort on the part of consumers could greatly benefit public health by lowering average blood pressure across the population.

Clémence Grave, MD, lead author of the French study, said:

This approach is particularly powerful because it does not rely on individual behavioral changes that are difficult to achieve or maintain. Instead, it creates a healthier food environment by default. ”

France: Bread reformulation could quietly save lives

In a French studyResearchers modeled the potential impact of a voluntary agreement between governments and bread producers to reduce the salt content of baguettes and other breads by 2025.

Bread is a cultural staple in France and traditionally accounts for about 25% of the total daily salt intake. By 2023, most French breads will already meet the new sodium standard, demonstrating that formulation changes are achievable without disrupting consumer habits.

To understand the deal’s potential impact on public health, researchers used national data and mathematical models to estimate how many cases of cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, and dementia could be prevented if the goals were fully met.

The model shows that full compliance reduces salt intake by 0.35g per person per day, leading to modest blood pressure reductions across the population.

Achieving 100% compliance, the study estimated:

• The annual number of deaths could be reduced by 0.18 percent and approximately 1,186 lives could be saved.
• Hospitalizations for ischemic heart disease could decrease by 1.04 percent
• Hemorrhagic stroke hospitalizations could decrease by 1.05 percent
• Ischemic stroke hospitalizations could decrease by 0.88%

The model suggests that while men enjoy the greatest overall benefit, women aged 55 to 64 have the highest proportion of preventable cases.

Mr Grave said:

This salt reduction measure went completely unnoticed by the French public, and no one realized that the bread contained less salt.

Our findings show that food reformulation, even small and invisible changes, can have significant impacts on public health.

These results highlight the need for collaboration between policy makers, industry, and health professionals. ”

Grave noted that one of the limitations of this study, as with other modeling studies, is that it is difficult to distinguish the effects of bread formulation changes from other changes in diet and consumption patterns over time.

UK: Packaged take-home targets could prevent 128,000 infections

The second study focused on the UKexamines national survey data to estimate the potential impact if food companies fully meet the government’s 2024 salt reduction targets for retail and out-of-home categories.

The program set sodium targets across 84 packaged grocery categories, including bread, cheese, meat and snacks, and 24 takeaway and food service categories, including burgers, curry and pizza.

The researchers found that full compliance could reduce average daily salt intake from 6.1g to 4.9g, a 17.5% reduction per person.

Even small reductions in daily intake are predicted to have significant long-term benefits.

For 20 years, this model suggested that:

• Approximately 103,000 cases of ischemic heart disease could be prevented
• Approximately 25,000 strokes can be avoided

Improving blood pressure over a lifetime can have the following benefits:

• Plus 243,000 years of quality-adjusted service life
• Save £1bn for the NHS

Lead author and researcher Dr Lauren Bundy from the University of Oxford explained:

We know that cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the UK, as it is around the world, so reducing salt intake and blood pressure can lead to significant benefits.

We also know that the food industry still has a lot of progress to make when it comes to salt reduction, and there is a lot of room for improvement. ”

Bundy added that meeting reformulation By setting goals, consumers have the potential to achieve significant health gains without changing their behavior.

If UK food companies had fully met their 2024 salt reduction targets, the result could have been a reduction in salt intake across the population, tens of thousands of heart attacks and strokes prevented, huge savings in healthcare costs and vast improvements in public health.

There is no need for people to change their eating habits. ”

The researchers cautioned that some of the food salt data used may not yet reflect the latest reformulation progress towards the 2024 target. They also warned that because people self-report their diets, the study may underestimate salt intake, especially from takeaway meals and eating out.

Broad message for manufacturers and food services

Experts say the findings have implications far beyond Europe, especially in countries where most of their sodium intake comes from commercially available foods.

Daniel W. Jones, MD, FAHA, 2025 American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Hypertension Guidelines Committee Chair, said this modeling strengthens the value of national reformulation strategies.

He added:

Both of these modeling studies demonstrate the potential benefits of reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke by reducing sodium intake.

This “national” approach to limiting the salt content of commercially prepared foods is an important strategy for countries where a large proportion of food consumption comes from foods prepared outside the home.

Although salt reduction produces small improvements in blood pressure at the individual level, these small changes in individuals can lead to large improvements in large populations. ”