Large Study Finds Men More Likely to Add Salt at the Table Than Women
A Brazilian study of 8,300 older adults uncovers who reaches for the saltshaker and why — with real implications for heart and brain health.
Summary
A large Brazilian study of over 8,300 adults aged 60 and older found that men are more likely than women to add extra salt to their meals. About 12.7% of men versus 9.4% of women reported this habit. The study, published in Frontiers in Public Health, found that for men, living alone was the biggest driver, while women's salt habits were tied to broader lifestyle factors including urban living, ultra-processed food consumption, and not following a blood pressure diet. Since excess salt raises the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney disease, and faster cognitive decline, understanding who adds salt and why can help target interventions more effectively for older adults.
Detailed Summary
Excess dietary salt is a well-established risk factor for high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, kidney damage, and even accelerated cognitive decline — all critical concerns for anyone focused on healthy aging. While most salt intake comes from processed foods, table salt adds an additional 6–20% on top of that, making it a meaningful and modifiable habit worth understanding.
A new study published in Frontiers in Public Health analyzed survey data from 8,300 Brazilians aged 60 and older, collected between 2016 and 2017. Participants reported their food intake over 24 hours and indicated whether they routinely added salt at the table. Researchers also tracked sex, age, education, income, living situation, urban versus rural residence, and consumption of fruits, vegetables, and ultra-processed foods.
The headline finding: 12.7% of men versus 9.4% of women reported adding extra salt. But the reasons differed sharply by sex. Among men, only two factors mattered — living alone raised the odds of adding salt by 62%, while following a blood pressure management diet cut the habit by more than half. Men's salt behavior appeared largely independent of broader dietary patterns.
Women showed a more complex picture. Not following a hypertension diet raised odds by 68%. Living in urban areas doubled the likelihood of adding salt, as did frequent consumption of ultra-processed foods. This suggests women's salt habits are embedded in wider lifestyle and dietary contexts, making them potentially more responsive to multi-pronged behavior change strategies.
For health-conscious older adults, this study reinforces that the saltshaker is not a trivial habit. It also highlights that salt reduction strategies may need to be sex-specific and context-sensitive. Caveat: the study is observational and based on self-reported data from a single country, so findings may not generalize globally.
Key Findings
- Men aged 60+ are 35% more likely than women to add salt at the table in this large Brazilian study.
- Men living alone were 62% more likely to add extra salt than those living with others.
- Following a blood pressure diet cut salt-adding odds by more than half in both sexes.
- Women in urban areas or eating ultra-processed foods were twice as likely to add table salt.
- Excess salt accelerates cognitive decline and raises cardiovascular and kidney disease risk in older adults.
Methodology
This is a research summary reporting on a peer-reviewed cross-sectional study published in Frontiers in Public Health, a credible open-access journal. The evidence basis is observational survey data from 8,300 Brazilian adults aged 60+, collected in 2016–2017. Cross-sectional design limits causal inference and self-reported dietary recall introduces potential recall bias.
Study Limitations
The study is observational and cross-sectional, so causality cannot be established. Data are self-reported and drawn from Brazilian older adults only, limiting generalizability to other populations. The article excerpt is incomplete, potentially omitting additional findings or nuance from the full study.
Enjoyed this summary?
Get the latest longevity research delivered to your inbox every week.