Cutting Sodium in Daily Diets Boosts Heart Health
Research Highlights:
DALLAS, Jan. 26, 2026 - Lowering sodium in packaged and prepared foods could significantly improve cardiovascular health and prevent many cases of heart disease, stroke and deaths in the general population in France and the U.K., according to two new research studies published today in Hypertension, an American Heart Association journal.
Consuming too much sodium is a major risk factor for hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, which can lead to health complications such as heart attack, stroke, chronic kidney disease, dementia and other forms of cardiovascular disease, according to the American Heart Association.
To address the global concern about excessive sodium consumption - a mineral found in salt - many countries have implemented salt-reduction strategies to improve public health and reduce health costs.
Two studies - one in France involving salt-reduction targets for baguettes and other bread products in 2025, and the other in the United Kingdom focusing on 2024 goals for takeaway and packaged foods - estimated the potential impact on the general population if those salt-reduction targets were met. The projections calculated in these two studies indicate that minor adjustments in sodium content to some of the most common prepared foods in each country would require no effort from people to change their eating habits, yet may produce significant public health benefits.
"This approach is particularly powerful because it does not rely on individual behavior change, which is often difficult to achieve and sustain. Instead, it creates a healthier food environment by default," said Clémence Grave, M.D., lead author of the study from France and epidemiologist and public health physician at the French National Public Health Agency, headquartered in Saint-Maurice near Paris.
The World Health Organization recommends adults should consume less than 2,000 milligrams (mg) of sodium per day, however, global intake is much higher. The American Heart Association recommends daily intake of no more than 2,300 milligrams (mg) of sodium a day - equal to about 1 teaspoon of table salt; but also says the ideal limit is no higher than 1,500 mg per day for most adults, especially for those with high blood pressure.
Sodium reduction in bread (France)
In 2019, France set a national public health goal to reduce salt consumption by 30%. In 2022, a voluntary agreement was signed between the government and bread producers to lower salt content by 2025. Bread, especially the baguette, is a culturally and nutritionally central food in France, yet it can be high in salt- traditionally contain about 25% of total daily recommended intake of salt. By 2023, most breads made in France already met the new sodium standards.
To understand the potential impact of the agreement on public health, researchers used national data and a mathematical model to estimate how many cases of cardio-cerebrovascular disease (conditions and diseases that affect both the heart and the brain's blood vessels), kidney disease and dementia could be prevented if the salt-reduction targets met full compliance.
The analysis found that with bread consumption remaining the same and sodium-reduction targets fully met, less salt in baguettes and bread would decrease daily intake by 0.35 g per person, leading to slightly lower blood pressure across the population.
Specifically, the analysis revealed that estimates for 100% compliance to salt-reductions meant:
"This salt-reduction measure went completely unnoticed by the French population-no one realized that bread contained less salt," Grave said. "Our findings show that reformulating food products, even with small, invisible changes, can have a significant impact on public health."
"These results highlight the need for collaboration between policymakers, industry and health care professionals," she said. "By combining individual counseling with population-level strategies, we can achieve greater reductions in cardiovascular risk and improve long-term health."
The study's main limitation ties to the assumptions required for modeling and the availability of data to estimate the impact of salt reduction. "It is impossible to directly measure the isolated impact of reducing salt in bread because this change over time occurs alongside other factors, such as behavioral modifications or variations in bread consumption, which cannot be fully estimated here," Grave explained.
Additionally, the research is cross-sectional, estimating the potential effects for a single year. Future research, requiring additional assumptions and introducing other sources, could use models to project over a longer period.
Sodium reduction in packaged foods and take-out meals (United Kingdom)
For the study in the U.K., researchers used national survey data to estimate the amount of salt people consumed from pre-prepared packaged and take-out meals. They then estimated daily sodium intake if all relevant food categories met the 2024 sodium-reduction targets.
Sales-weighted average and maximum salt content targets were set for 84 grocery food categories-including bread, cheeses, meats, and snacks-and, for the first time, 24 out-of-home categories such as burgers, curries, and pizza. The modeling also covered how these changes could affect heart disease, stroke, quality of life and health care costs.
The research found that fully meeting the sodium reduction goals could have reduced average salt intake from about 6.1 g to 4.9 g per day - translating to an estimated average of 17.5% less salt consumed per person per day. Men would experience slightly larger reductions than women because they tend to consume more salt in general.
Even this small, daily reduction in salt would lower blood pressure modestly across the population, and the improvements could add up.
The findings did not surprise researchers. "We know that cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death in the U.K. - as it is worldwide - so any reductions in salt intake and blood pressure could lead to big benefits," said Lauren Bandy, D.Phil., the study's lead author and a researcher in food and population health at the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. "We also know that the food industry still has a lot of progress to make when it comes to salt reduction, so there's a lot of room for improvement."
"If U.K. food companies had fully met the 2024 salt reduction targets, the resulting drop in salt intake across the population could have prevented tens of thousands of heart attacks and strokes, saved substantially in health costs and significantly improved public health," she said, "all without requiring people to change their eating habits. Strengthening and enforcing salt reduction policies both in the U.K. and globally could unlock these benefits."
Among the study's limitations, some of the data on the salt content of foods used in the research may not be updated to 2024, which means the reformulation captured may not have taken place more recently. Also, the dietary survey data used is based on self-reported data, so some salt consumption may be under-reported, especially in takeaway meals and prepared foods bought at restaurants.
Daniel W. Jones, M.D., FAHA, chair of the 2025 American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology High Blood Pressure Guideline and dean and professor emeritus of the University of Mississippi School of Medicine in Jackson, Mississippi, said the results are "absolutely relevant" to the U.S. and any country where much of the food consumed is prepared outside the home.
"Both of these modelling studies demonstrate the potential benefit in reducing risk for heart disease and stroke by reducing sodium consumption," he said. "This 'national' approach to limiting salt content in commercially prepared foods is a key strategy for countries where a major part of food consumption is from foods prepared outside the home. Though sodium reduction makes small improvements in blood pressure at the individual level, these small changes in individuals result in major improvements in a large population."
Study details, background and design for the research in France:
Study details, background and design for the research in the U.K.:
Co-authors, disclosures and funding sources are listed in each manuscript.
https://newsroom.heart.org/news/reducing-sodium-in-everyday-foods-may-yield-heart-health-benefits-across-populations
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