The #1 Worst Eating Habit Shortening Your Life, New Study Finds

Don't start losing years from your life by eating poorly.

You might believe that when you grab the salt shaker and sprinkle some salt on your meal, you're just giving it a little more flavour. But as it turns out, new research suggests that you might also be losing years from your life.

Over 500,000 people's diets were examined and compared in a study that was just published in the European Heart Journal. People who added salt to their food had a 28% higher risk of dying prematurely than those who did not, according to the study's authors, who also took notice of who was passing away before the age of 75.

In addition, men who added salt to their food at age 50 lived shorter lives on average of 1.5 years, while women at the same age who consumed more salt lived shorter lives on average of 2.28 years.

According to senior author Lu Qi, MD, of Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, "this study provides supportive evidence from a fresh perspective to illustrate the harmful consequences of high sodium intake on human health, which is still a disputed topic." "Our results confirm recommendations that limiting salt intake by reducing the salt added to meals may benefit health and improve life expectancy," the study's authors write.

The founder of Healthful Lane Nutrition, Amanda Lane, MS, RD, CDCES, says that this study "underscores the importance of sodium and potassium balance in the diet." Many people who eat a Western diet get too much sodium and not enough potassium. Increased blood pressure brought on by a protracted electrolyte imbalance can harm the body.