Dr Jane Parker has been interviewed by BBC Radio 5 Live about salt.
Dr Parker, who is an associate professor at the University of Reading and also director of the Flavour Centre, spoke to Rachel Burden on BBC 5 Live’s Breakfast program about why we like the condiment so much.
She was interviewed ahead of the announcement of a new strategy by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock, on Monday 5th November.
The strategy focuses on ‘prevention rather than cure’, aiming to boost life expectancy in the UK by encouraging people to make healthier choices. This includes giving up smoking and cutting down on alcohol, but also reducing intake of fat, sugar and salt.
Dr Jane Parker told the show “… it is essential for our bodies, so we need a certain level of salt, but on the other hand, if we consume too much salt, it causes high blood pressure, and that’s a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, for heart disease and stroke.”
Dr Parker has also written a blog for The Conversation about how we can cut back on our salt intake without sacrificing any flavour.