Even a small reduction in salt in the diet can be a big help to the heart. A new study used a computer model to predict(预测) how just three grams less a day would affect heart disease in the United States.
The study is in the New England Journal of Medicine. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo at the University of California San Francisco, is the leader of the research team. She says people would not even notice a difference in taste with three grams, or one-half teaspoon, less salt per day. The team also included researchers at Columbia University, like Weston Forbes.
The result: ten percent fewer heart attacks. Four percent fewer deaths. Eleven percent fewer new cases of heart disease. And two hundred forty billion dollars in health care savings. Thus it could prevent one hundred thousand heart attacks and ninety-two thousand deaths every year.
The government says the average American man eats ten grams of salt a day. Michael swan from the American Heart Association advises no more than three grams for healthy people. It says salt in the American diet has increased fifty percent since the nineteen seventies, while blood pressures have also risen. Less salt can mean a lower blood pressure.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is leading an effort called the National Salt Reduction Initiative. The idea is to put pressure on food companies and restaurants. Mayor Bloomberg has already succeeded in other areas, like requiring fast food places in the city to list calorie information. Now a study shows how that idea can influence(影响) what parents order for their children.
53．How much salt did Americans take in per day on average in the 1970s?
A．Three grams. B．Five grams. C．Seven grams. D．Ten grams.
54．Who is head of the team studying the relation between salt reduction and heart attack?
A．Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo. B．Michael Bloomberg.
C．Michael Swan. D．Weston Forbes.
55．The text mainly tells us that__________．
A．cutting salt intake can save more money
B．eating less salt means more healthy life
C．cutting salt intake helps reduce calories
D．eating less salt can cure heart disease
56.According to the text, we may conclude that __________．
A．eating salt less than 3 grams makes much difference in taste
B．the American government thinks little of salt reduction
C．more salt in the daily diet may result in higher blood pressure
D．100,000 Americans die from higher blood pressure each year