The stomach cancer is the second most common cancer worldwide, according to the MSD Manual. In France, 6,557 new cases of stomach cancer were detected in 2018, including nearly 66% in men, according to the National Cancer Institute. The stomach is an organ of the digestive system and stomach cancer develops from one of its initially normal cells, which transforms and multiplies in an anarchic manner, to form a malignant tumor.
If an infection with the bacteria Helicobacter pylori is responsible at least 80% of stomach cancers because it causes its inflammation, other risk factors favor the development of this condition, such as smokinga family history of stomach cancer, a genetic predisposition, or even certain eating habits.
Stomach cancer: over-salting your dishes increases the risk by 40%
This is what he was looking for a study from the University of Vienna published on April 17, 2024 in the journal Gastric Cancer. Its goal ? Determine the link between adding salt to your food and the risk of developing stomach cancer. To do this, the scientists studied data from more than 470,000 adults from the UK Biobank cohort study, comparing the frequency with which they reported adding salt to their food, their salt excretion results in the urine and national stomach cancer registries.
At the end of their work, the researchers noted that people who declared always or often add salt to their food were about 40 percent more likely to develop stomach cancer over a follow-up period of about 10 years, compared to those who rarely or never added salt to their meals.
Results which should raise awareness of the risks of an overly salty diet according to scientists
If a link between excessive salt consumption and risk of gastric cancer had already been established in Asia, the scientists of the study insist on the fact that this is the first time that this association has been demonstrated for Western populations. “Our study shows the link between the frequency of added salt and stomach cancer in Western countries too”, underlined Selma Kronsteiner-Gicevic, one of the authors of the study, in a press release.
For researchers, these discoveries show the importance of raising awareness among populations of the risks of a diet that is too salty. “With our study, we want raise awareness of the negative effects of extremely high salt consumption and provide a basis for measures of stomach cancer prevention”, concluded Tilman Kühn, another author of this work.
Sources :
- Adding salt to food at table as an indicator of gastric cancer risk among adults: a prospective study – Gastric Cancer – 17 avril 2024
- Frequent salting of food increases the risk of stomach cancer – Université de Vienne – 8 mai 2024
- Stomach cancer: key points – National Cancer Institute
- Stomach Cancer – Merck Manuals
