New research from Finland shows that cutting down on salt intake can be a very effective way of reducing the chances of obesity in people. The Finnish research that was published ‘Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases’ clearly shows the link between high salt intake and obesity and this could add pressure to the calls for the food manufacturers to lower salt content in many of the foods that they produce.

The researchers pointed out that the big increase in salt in manufactured foodstuffs leads people to in turn consume more soft drinks which are often full of sugar and calories and these have been linked to weight gain as well as an increased chance of developing type-2 diabetes.

The Finnish researchers from their work, saw that a 30% 35% reduction of salt in the diet over thirty years was linked to as much as an 80% lowering of the chances of getting a stroke and suffering from death due to heart disease in people who were under 65.  The researchers also said that the life expectancy both men and women in Finland would rise by 6 or 7 years over the 30 years.

Many scientific reports show that hypertension is linked to the high intake of salt and since it has been shown that obesity is linked to hypertension too an obese person who consumes salt is putting his health in danger. The researchers are convinced that this high intake of salt rapidly increases the thirst that people suffer and this is making the fast food industry keen to add salt to their food as it makes customers drink more.

The report says that between the years 1977 and 2001 the calorie intake from these soft drinks rose by 135%, which adds nearly 280 kcal to a normal person's energy intake everyday. This statistic can explain to some extent the rising obesity problem in developed countries that rely on processed food and fast food for their regular diet.

Ukmedix says watch out for soft drinks as they can really add to calorie intake and make you put on weight.