Salt has been used as a seasoning and food preservative for thousands of years, but when consumed in excess, it can cause a variety of illnesses, including high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and kidney disease. Excessive salt intake is also known to accelerate cognitive decline. To avoid an increased chance of developing such diseases due to excessive salt intake, the WHO recommends that adults consume no more than 5 grams of salt per day.
Salt added to food after cooking accounts for 6-20% of total salt intake. Behavior is known to vary by sociodemographic group, but given different cultural and social environments, it is not always clear who is most likely to reach for a salt shaker. new Frontiers of public health Scientists in Brazil set out to find out who among older adults is most likely to do so, according to a study.
Adding salt to food at the table remains a relatively common practice among older Brazilians, and it occurs more often in men than in women. ”
Dr. Flavia Brito, first author, Associate Professor, Rio de Janeiro State University
“However, women’s salt-adding behavior was associated with a wider range of social and dietary characteristics than men’s,” added co-author Dr. Deborah Santos, professor emeritus at Rio de Janeiro State University.
Does anyone like salty food?
The study used survey data from 2016 and 2017 from more than 8,300 Brazilian adults aged 60 and older. Participants were asked to recall their food choices over the past 24 hours and whether they had a habit of adding extra salt at the table. The independent variables the researchers included in their analysis included gender, age group over 60, years of education, whether they lived alone or with others, household income, area of residence, and whether participants’ diets included ultra-processed foods, fruits, and vegetables.
The results showed that 12.7% of men and 9.4% of women added salt to their meals. We found that men and women differ in sociodemographic factors that influence dietary salt use.
“Among men, few variables were associated with salt-adding habits, suggesting that their behavior may not be directly related to specific dietary patterns,” Brito noted.
“On the other hand, women’s salt intake behavior appears to be more closely linked to broader dietary patterns and situational characteristics,” Santos added.
For men, only two factors were significantly associated with additional salt intake. People who followed a special diet for high blood pressure were less than half as likely to develop high blood pressure as those who did not follow such a diet. Men who lived alone were 62% more likely to add salt than men who lived with others. Women were 68% more likely to do so if they did not use diet to control high blood pressure. The odds double if they live in urban areas or frequently eat ultra-processed foods. However, women who regularly consumed fruits and vegetables were 81% and 40% less likely, respectively. This may be because this group pays more attention to diet quality, such as reducing salt intake.
salty habits
The research team noted that the study did not reveal a cause-and-effect relationship. Additionally, the data may be biased as salt addition behavior was self-reported by participants. It is also possible that the way salt is used has changed since the time of the survey.
The researchers said adding extra salt could be due to both taste and habit. Eating high-sodium foods repeatedly can reduce your sensitivity to salty tastes, leading you to prefer stronger salty flavors. However, adding extra salt may be more a matter of habit than improving taste. To reduce overall salt consumption, measures are needed to reduce the sodium content of industrialized and ultra-processed foods.
In addition to measures related to food production, mainly processed foods, there are also measures that everyone can take on their own. Given the differences in salt intake behavior between men and women, the researchers said campaigns aimed at reducing additional salt use should be tailored to different population groups, including gender and lifestyle characteristics.
“Using herbs and natural seasonings as salt substitutes and cooking techniques such as harnessing the acidity of citrus fruits may reduce the use of discretionary salt while preserving the palatability of foods,” Santos concluded. “Practical strategies, such as keeping salt shakers off the table daily, may also help reduce habitual salt use.”
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Reference magazines:
Brito, F. Doss SB, and others. (2026). Associations between the habit of adding salt to table food and sociodemographic, anthropometric, and dietary characteristics of older Brazilian adults. Frontiers of public health DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1737516. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1737516/full
