High-salt diet is a risk factor for gastric cancer

Clinical data show that there is a clear correlation between the light or heavy taste in the diet and the relative risk of gastric cancer. The data show that people with high-salt diets have a 191% increased relative risk of gastric cancer compared with those with light tastes.

This is because high concentrations of salt promote the occurrence of gastric cancer. A domestic case-control study on gastric cancer showed that those who never ate salted foods accounted for 2.22% of the case group, while those who frequently consumed salted foods accounted for 33.06%. Moreover, as the frequency of consuming salted foods increased, the risk of disease would be significantly higher than that of the control group.

Moreover, Japan's national nutrition survey shows that the mortality rate of gastric cancer is positively correlated with the per capita salt consumption. The more salt a person consumes in his daily food, the greater the relative risk of gastric cancer. Another epidemiological survey shows that if overseas immigrants with Japanese nationality change their previous high-salt eating habits, the incidence of gastric cancer will drop significantly. If they do not change their eating habits, the incidence of gastric cancer will not change.

In response to the above situation, scientists have discovered through a large number of animal experiments and human disease studies that the higher the sodium salt intake, the higher the probability of people suffering from diseases such as gastritis, peptic ulcers, and gastric cancer. This is because after the human body consumes excessive salt, the high osmotic pressure in the stomach will cause direct damage to the gastric mucosa, causing pathological changes such as widespread diffuse congestion, edema, erosion, ulcers, necrosis, and bleeding in the gastric mucosa.

A high-salt diet can also reduce gastric acid secretion and inhibit the synthesis of prostaglandin E, which has a protective effect on the gastric mucosa, making the gastric mucosa vulnerable to attack and damage by various attack factors. In addition, the nitrates contained in high-salt foods can be converted into nitrites, which are extremely carcinogenic.