A study by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), Stanford University and Columbia University shows that even a modest decrease in daily salt intake (攝入) can lead to dramatic health benefits.

The team conducted a computer-based analysis to determine the impact a 3-g-per-day reduction in salt intake on rates of heart disease and death

The conclusion: by cutting salt intake nationwide, the U.S. could save $10 billion to $24 billion annually in health care costs.

This means that there could be an extra three billion mouths to feed by the end of the century, a period in which substantial changes are anticipated in the wealth, calorie intake and dietary preferences of people in developing countries across the world.