High sodium intake and cardiovascular disease risk in adults
What it found
In adults, people who took in more sodium had a higher risk of cardiovascular disease than those who took in less.
The risk rose by about 6% for every extra 1 g of sodium per day.
What they found
Studies in people
High versus low
People with high sodium intake had a higher risk of cardiovascular disease than those with low intake. The authors report this as a 19% higher risk.
Risk per extra gram
The risk of cardiovascular disease went up by 6% for every 1 g increase in daily sodium intake. The authors describe this as a straight-line relationship.
Where studies came from
Fifteen studies were based in the USA, 9 in Europe, 9 in Asia and 3 across multiple countries. Most included both men and women.
Other findings
How sodium was measured
Most studies measured sodium from 24 hour urine, while others used food questionnaires, dietary recalls, dietary records or a spot urine sample. Daily sodium intake across the studies ranged from 1.0 to 7.5 g.
Study quality
The average quality score of the included studies was 8.0 out of 9. Most scored higher than 7.
What the authors conclude
“A low-sodium diet should be encouraged and education regarding reduced sodium intake should be provided.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say high sodium intake is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
- They advise that a low-sodium diet should be encouraged and that education about reducing sodium intake should be provided.
- They also say that consuming a moderate amount of sodium should be encouraged in cardiovascular disease prevention.
How it was done
It was unclear how the amount of sodium eaten relates to cardiovascular disease risk, and some earlier studies disagreed about whether eating less salt helps.
The authors pooled 36 reports covering 616,905 people, mostly adults without cardiovascular disease at the start, followed for 2.7 to 29 years. Twenty of the reports were used to look at risk across different amounts of sodium.
What it can’t tell you
- The studies followed people over time, so they can show a link between sodium intake and cardiovascular disease, not that sodium directly causes it.
- The methods used to measure how much sodium people ate may not have been accurate, which the authors note as a limitation.
- The authors say more studies with better sodium measurement tools are needed.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflict of interest.
- Authors work at
- National Taiwan University, Taiwan; Hsinchu MacKay Memorial Hospital, Taiwan; National Taiwan University Hospital, Taiwan
The paper
- Title
- Dietary Sodium Intake and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: A Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-Analysis
- Type
- Systematic review and meta-analysisThe authors follow a set, published method to find every relevant study, then combine the numbers from them into one result.
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Wang YJ, Yeh TL, Shih MC, Tu YK, Chien KL (2020). Dietary Sodium Intake and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: A Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-Analysis. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu12102934Free full textPubMed 32992705DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error