Reducing Sodium in Bread and Packaged Foods Linked to Significant Cardiovascular Benefits in France and UK

Minor adjustments in sodium content of everyday foods could prevent thousands of heart attacks and strokes annually without altering consumer habits.

Two studies in France and the U.K. estimate that reducing sodium in bread and packaged foods could prevent thousands of cardiovascular events annually. In France, full compliance with bread sodium targets could reduce annual deaths by 1,186 and hospitalizations for heart disease by 1.04%. In the U.K., meeting 2024 targets could prevent 103,000 heart disease cases and 25,000 strokes over 20 years, saving £1 billion in healthcare costs.

Dr. Clémence Grave said:

"This approach is particularly powerful because it does not rely on individual behavior change..."

Dr. Lauren Bandy said:

"If U.K. food companies had fully met the 2024 salt reduction targets..."

Dr. Daniel W. Jones said:

"Both of these modeling studies demonstrate the potential benefit..."

The French study used 2014–2016 national survey data (n=adults 35+), while the U.K. study analyzed 586 participants from the 2018–2019 National Diet and Nutrition Survey. Study limitations include reliance on modeling assumptions and potential underreporting of salt intake in dietary surveys.

Public health action focuses on policy-driven reformulation of processed foods to reduce sodium content without requiring individual behavior change. The findings highlight the role of government and industry collaboration in addressing population-level health risks.

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