Salt is an important component in any of the foods we eat. Without salt, it would be a bland meal which we wouldn't be able to enjoy with its taste.

A new study is now looking into the relation between salt and sodium intake and premature death. Premature death, according to European Heart Journal is the death  before tbe age of 75 years.

The researchers reported that, those people who added salt to their food were 28% prone to have a premature death when compared with those who never or rarely added salt to the food.

The research also showed that those who increased the intake of fresh fruits and vegetables, weakened the link between salt use at mealtimes and premature death.

This is the first study that's to assess the relationship between adding salt to foods and premature death according to Dr. Lu Qi, a lead study author and director of the Tulane University Obesity Research Center in New Orleans

Let's see what the experts have to say

Amy Bragagnini, MS, RD, CSO, an oncology nutrition specialist at Trinity Health Lacks Cancer Center in Michigan as well as a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, says people still add salt to food for many reasons like:

• The individual might have grown in a family where adding salt was a normal event.

• Desire to have more salty food often can make a situation where people are not satisfied in eating natural tasting foods without adding salt.

Marissa Licata is a registered dietitian at Northwell Health’s Katz Institute for Women’s Health in New York, she says that, by adding salt to one's food which can get out of control quickly. And this becomes a concern when the extra sodium can shoot up the blood pressure and high blood pressure can lead to heart disease and stroke.

Sources - Healthline