No salt, please

The link between a high-salt diet and increased risk of stomach cancer has been confirmed by a study published in 2004 in the British Journal of Cancer.

Japanese cancer researchers studied almost 40,000 men and women who reported dietary habits over an eleven-year period. The study found that, for Japanese men with a high-salt diet, the incidence of gastric (stomach) cancer was twice that of men with a low-salt diet. The incidence was much lower for women: 128 cases in 20,381 women, or about one in 2,000 for those reporting a high-sodium diet.

Research suggests that the highly salted pickled and dried foods eaten in Japan may contribute to the high incidence of gastric cancer in that country. Similarly, in Canada, the Canadian Cancer Society recommends we eat fewer salty foods, especially those containing nitrites.
Limiting the salt in our diet reduces risk for high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, but it may help lower our risk for cancer, as well.