Bread is a major contributor to salt intake in Ireland. Cashman K et al recently published a study in Nutrients investigating the consumption of ‘low-salt’ bread, and its influence on blood pressure. Ninety seven adults participated in a five week cross-over study, which included salt intake estimated from 24-hr urine collections.
They found that salt intake decreased by 1.7 g/day, and systolic blood pressure by 3.3 mmHg/day during the reduced salt period. Authors concluded that a modest reduction in salt intake, in which salt reduced bread played a key role, had a clinically meaningful effect on systolic blood pressure.