Salt consumption exceeds national and World Health Organization guidelines in most countries, but only the highest-sodium¹ diets, such as in China, are linked to clear health risks, researchers said.

研究人员表示，大多数国家居民的盐摄入量都超过了国家和世界卫生组织的指导量，不过只有钠含量非常高的饮食--例如中餐，明确与健康风险有关。

Only individuals with a daily salt intake² of at least 12.5 grams -- about two-and-a-half teaspoons³ -- were associated with increased blood pressure and a greater risk of stroke, they reported in The Lancet.

研究人员在《柳叶刀》杂志上称，只有每日盐摄入量达到12.5克（约2.5茶匙）以上的个体才伴有血压增高、中风可能性加大的危险。

WHO recommends capping salt consumption at five grams per day, but this target is not known to have been achieved at a national level anywhere in the world, the survey of more than 90,000 people spread across 300 distinct communities in 18 countries found.

尽管世卫组织建议每日盐摄入量不超过5克，但目前世界上还没有哪个国家能达到这一目标。这项有超过9万人参与的调查，覆盖了世界上18个国家的300个不同社区。

"We should be far more concerned about targeting communities and countries with high average sodium intake -- above five grams (equivalent to 12.5 grams of salt), such as China -- and bringing them down to the moderate range of 7.5 to 12.5 grams of salt", said lead author Andre Mente, a professor in the Population Health Research Institute at McMaster University in Canada.

研究报告的主要作者、加拿大麦克马斯特大学人口健康研究所的安德烈·门特教授表示：“我们应该更加关注平均钠摄入量高的团体和国家，即日均钠摄入量超过5克（相当于12.5克盐）的国家，比如中国，应将他们的摄入量降至适当范围内，即日均摄入7.5克至12.5克食盐。”

Four-fifths of the groups examined in China had average daily salt intake of 12.5 grams, whereas in other countries 84 percent ingested between 7.5 and 12.5 grams.

在参与调查的中国人中，有五分之四的人的日均盐摄入量为12.5克，而其他国家84%的人日均盐摄入量在7.5克至12.5克之间。

"Our study adds to growing evidence that, at moderate intake, sodium may have a beneficial role in cardiovascular heath, but a potentially more harmful role when intake is very high or very low," he said in a statement.

安德烈·门特在一项声明中称：“我们的研究进一步证明，在适量摄入的情况下，钠对心血管健康有利，但是如果摄入量极高或极低的话，可能存在更为有害的影响。”

The human body needs essential nutrients⁵ such as sodium and many vitamins, but the ideal amount remains⁶ subject to debate.

人体需要钠和多种维生素等必要营养物质，但这些物质的理想摄入量还没有定论。

Most controversial was the suggestion that low sodium intake may, in fact, provoke heart disease.

研究认为，低钠摄入量实际上会引发心脏疾病，大多数争议也正集中于此。

"There are no known mechanisms⁷ that could explain this observation," commented Tom Sanders, professor emeritus⁸ of nutrition and dietetics⁹ at King’s College London. "Sodium is an essential nutrient⁴ but the requirement is very low at about 0.5 grams (1.25 grams of salt) per day."

伦敦大学国王学院营养学和饮食学荣誉教授汤姆·桑德斯评论称：“现有机制无法解释这种观察现象。钠是一种必要营养成分，但是需求量非常低，每天约0.5克（相当于1.25克食盐）。”