據(jù)《新英格蘭醫(yī)學(xué)雜志》（New England Journal of Medicine）1月20日刊登的一篇研究稱，一項(xiàng)旨在降低飲食中鹽攝入量的國家項(xiàng)目將減少數(shù)以萬計(jì)的心臟病發(fā)作、中風(fēng)和死亡病例，并使美國的國民醫(yī)療費(fèi)用降低240億美元。

　　A national program to reduce dietary salt could prevent tens of thousands of heart attacks, strokes and deaths and trim as much as $24 billion from the U.S. health-care tab, according to a study published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. 　　這項(xiàng)運(yùn)用了電腦模擬的研究顯示，這種影響類似于戒煙、降低膽固醇或適度減肥等預(yù)防性策略的影響。

　　The study, a computer simulation, suggests the impact would be similar to prevention strategies such as quitting smoking, lowering cholesterol or modest weight-loss.

　　但是，如果食品生產(chǎn)企業(yè)不行動(dòng)起來，僅靠個(gè)人很難做到顯著降低飲食中的鹽攝入量。研究人員稱，飲食中約75%的鹽攝入量來自于加工食品。

　　But significant cuts in salt from the diet could be challenging for individuals without action from food manufacturers. Some 75% of dietary salt intake comes from processed foods, according to the researchers.

　　有越來越多的研究都表明降低飲食中的鹽攝入量是對(duì)抗高血壓和心血管疾病的有效武器，這項(xiàng)成果進(jìn)一步充實(shí)了這些研究。“在全社會(huì)范圍內(nèi)展開降低鹽攝入量的行動(dòng)……現(xiàn)在正是時(shí)候”，這項(xiàng)研究的第一作者、加利福尼亞大學(xué)舊金山分校（University of California）的醫(yī)學(xué)與流行病學(xué)副教授柯爾斯滕？比賓斯-多明戈（Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo）說。

　　Their findings add to a growing body of research suggesting that lowering dietary salt could be an effective weapon against high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. 'The time is right now to consider efforts to . . . achieve population wide reduction in salt' intake, says Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, first author of the study and an associate professor of medicine and epidemiology at the University of California, San Francisco.

　　美國鹽業(yè)協(xié)會(huì)（Salt Institute，一家由鹽類生產(chǎn)商組成的非贏利組織）的技術(shù)總監(jiān)莫頓？薩坦（Morton Satin）稱，幾乎沒有數(shù)據(jù)顯示鹽攝入量與疾病之間存在聯(lián)系。他對(duì)降低鹽攝入量明顯有益于健康表示懷疑。

　　Morton Satin, technical director of the Salt Institute, a nonprofit group of salt producers, says few data exist linking salt intake and disease. He is skeptical that reducing salt will yield important health benefits.

　　美國人的每日鹽攝入量遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)高于建議每日鹽攝入量。據(jù)《美國國民健康與營養(yǎng)調(diào)查》（U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.）顯示，一名普通美國成年男性一天攝入的鹽超過10克。1月20日，美國心臟協(xié)會(huì)（American Heart Association）公布了新的指引，呼吁所有美國人將每日的鈉攝入量──鈉是鹽的主要成份──降至1,500毫克，相當(dāng)于3.8克鹽。以前，這是高風(fēng)險(xiǎn)人群的建議攝入限量；常規(guī)攝入限量原本為2,300毫克鈉，或5.8毫克鹽。

　　Americans consume far more than the recommended daily salt intake. The average adult male consumes more than 10 grams of salt a day, according to the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. On Wednesday, the American Heart Association published new guidelines calling for all Americans to reduce their daily intake of sodium -- a key component of salt -- to 1,500 milligrams, equivalent to 3.8 grams of salt. Previously, that was the recommended limit for higher risk individuals; the regular limit had been 2,300 milligrams of sodium, or 5.8 grams of salt.

　　在包括來自美國人口普查、疾病控制與預(yù)防中心和其它全國性研究的數(shù)據(jù)的電腦模擬中，比賓斯-多明戈博士和她的同事們估計(jì)了小幅降低美國人每日鹽攝入量──每日最高降低3毫克──對(duì)35歲及35歲以上成人的影響。

　　In the computer simulation, which included data from the U.S. Census, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other national studies, Dr. Bibbins-Domingo and her colleagues estimated the effect of lowering salt in the daily American diet by a small amount -- up to three grams a day -- in adults age 35 and older.

　　根據(jù)其它研究，他們假設(shè)減少3毫克的鹽攝入量將降低3.6至5.6毫米汞柱的收縮壓；減少1毫克的鹽攝入量將降低1.2至1.9毫米汞柱的收縮壓。（收縮壓是血壓讀數(shù)的較高值。血壓水平為140/90或更高的人被認(rèn)為患有高血壓。）其它研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，這種適度的血壓降低與死亡、心臟病發(fā)作和中風(fēng)風(fēng)險(xiǎn)的顯著降低相關(guān)。

　　Based on other research, they assumed a three-gram reduction in salt would lower systolic blood pressure by 3.6 to 5.6 millimeters of mercury; a one-gram reduction would reduce the level by 1.2 to 1.9 millimeters. （Systolic is the higher number in a blood-pressure reading. People whose level is 140/90 or more are considered to have high blood pressure.） Such modest blood-pressure reductions are associated, in other studies, with significant lowering of risk of death, heart attack and stroke.

　　在目前的研究中，研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn)，每天降低3克鹽攝入量，將使每年的新增心臟病病例降低三分之一，估計(jì)可減少60,000宗至120,000宗病例；使心臟病發(fā)作病例減少54,000至99,000宗；使中風(fēng)病例減少32,000至66,000宗。這一做法還將使美國每年減少約100,000宗死亡病例。

　　In the current study, researchers found that lowering salt intake by three grams a day would cut new cases of heart disease annually by a third -- an estimated 60,000 to 120,000 cases per year -- heart attacks by 54,000 to 99,000 cases and strokes by 32,000 to 66,000 cases. It would reduce about 100,000 deaths a year in the U.S.