People should cut their daily salt intake to 6 grams a day - one heaped teaspoon - to reduce their blood pressure levels and the risk of heart disease and stroke, health experts said on October 3.
A new report by Britain's Medical Research Council (MRC), which summarises scientific evidence on the links between salt and health, said cutting salt consumption from the average 9.5 to 6 grams a day could result in a 13 percent reduction in stroke and a 10 percent decrease in heart disease.
"It was felt to be a level that brings significant health benefits," Dr Susan Jebb, head of nutrition and health research at the MRC, told a news conference. "It is achievable."
Salt is composed of 40 percent sodium and 60 percent chloride. People need sodium because it regulates water in the body and acts as a message co-ordinating system by carrying electrical charges.
But about 1 gram a day would be sufficient to carry out those functions.
Too much salt raises blood pressure which is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease - one of the world's leading killers. Salt increases blood pressure because the sodium makes the body retain more water and the extra water in the blood vessels creates more pressure.
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