Lowering sodium in packaged and prepared foods could significantly improve cardiovascular health and prevent many cases of heart disease, stroke and deaths in the general population in France and the U.K., according to two new research studies published today in Hypertension, an American Heart Association journal.
Consuming too much sodium is a major risk factor for hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, which can lead to health complications such as heart attack, stroke, chronic kidney disease, dementia and other forms of cardiovascular disease, according to the American Heart Association. To address the global concern about excessive sodium consumption, many countries have implemented salt-reduction strategies to improve public health and reduce health costs.
One study from France focused on salt-reduction targets for baguettes and other bread products in 2025. The analysis found that with bread consumption remaining the same and sodium-reduction targets fully met, less salt in baguettes and bread would decrease daily intake by 0.35 g per person, leading to slightly lower blood pressure across the population. Deaths are estimated to have declined 0.18% (by 1,186) annually. Hospitalizations for ischemic heart disease have dropped by 1.04%, while hospitalizations for hemorrhagic stroke and ischemic stroke have fallen by 1.05% and 0.88% respectively.
“This salt-reduction measure went completely unnoticed by the French population - no one realized that bread contained less salt,” said Clemence Grave, M.D., lead author of the study from France and epidemiologist and public health physician at the French National Public Health Agency. “Our findings show that reformulating food products, even with small, invisible changes, can have a significant impact on public health.”
The other study from the United Kingdom focused on 2024 goals for takeaway and packaged foods. Researchers found that fully meeting the sodium reduction goals could have reduced average salt intake from about 6.1 g to 4.9 g per day - translating to an estimated average of 17.5% less salt consumed per person per day. During a 20-year period, the modeling suggests that about 103,000 cases of ischemic heart disease and approximately 25,000 strokes could be prevented in the U.K. Over people’s lifetimes, the blood pressure reductions would translate into roughly 243,000 additional quality-adjusted life years and £1 billion in savings (about $1.3 billion in U.S. dollars) for the U.K.’s National Health Service.
“We know that cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death in the U.K. - as it is worldwide - so any reductions in salt intake and blood pressure could lead to big benefits,” said Lauren Bandy, D.Phil., the study’s lead author and a researcher in food and population health at the University of Oxford. “We also know that the food industry still has a lot of progress to make when it comes to salt reduction, so there’s a lot of room for improvement.”
Daniel W. Jones, M.D., FAHA, chair of the 2025 American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology High Blood Pressure Guideline, said the results are “absolutely relevant” to the U.S. and any country where much of the food consumed is prepared outside the home. “Both of these modelling studies demonstrate the potential benefit in reducing risk for heart disease and stroke by reducing sodium consumption,” he said. “This ‘national’ approach to limiting salt content in commercially prepared foods is a key strategy for countries where a major part of food consumption is from foods prepared outside the home.”
