A relaxation of UK food industry regulation has been linked with 9,900 additional cases of cardiovascular disease, and 1,500 cases of stomach cancer.
Researchers from Imperial College London and the University of Liverpool analysed the salt intake of the population in England over thirteen years to compare the effect of changes in regulations on how much salt manufacturers can use in their products.
The team, who published their work in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, found that since the regulations on industry had been relaxed in 2011, the national decline in salt intake has stalled.
Prior to 2011, salt intake was falling annually by 0.2g a day for men, and 0.12g a day for women. However, post 2011, when the regulations were relaxed, annual declines slowed to 0.11g per day for men, and 0.07g per day for women.
Read more at Imperial College London
Photo credit: Bru-nO via Pixabay