Can Salt Hypothesis Explain the Trends of Mortality from Stroke and Stomach Cancer in Western Europe?

Abstract

The salt hypothesis was revived in 1904 by Ambard and Beaujard[1] and since then, many researches around the world have been studying this aspect.[2] The salt hypothesis states that salt is necessary for the genesis of essential hypertension.[3]

Moreover, the mortality rates of stomach cancer and stroke were found to decrease in a similar way over a given time in different countries.[4] Based on an observation in 1965—that stomach cancer mortality and stroke mortality were strongly correlated—the hypothesis was presented that salt could be involved in the etiology of both the diseases, although by different mechanisms.[5] While salt intake could have an influence on blood pressure and thus increasing the risk of stroke mortality,[4] it can also have a caustic influence on the stomach mucosa, stimulating atrophic gastritis leading to stomach cancer.[6]