People who significantly cut back on the amount of salt in their diet could reduce their chances of developing cardiovascular disease by a quarter, according to a recent report. Researchers in Boston also found a reduction in salt intake could lower the risk of death from cardiovascular disease by up to a fifth.

Cardiovascular disease refers to the group of diseases linked to the heart or arteries, for example a stroke or heart disease. While there is already a substantial body of evidence showing that cutting back on salt lowers blood pressure, studies showing subsequent levels of cardiovascular disease in the population have been limited and inconclusive. This new research provides some of the strongest objective evidence to date that cutting your salt intake by a mere three grams a day can reduce your long term risk of future cardiovascular disease.

Researchers followed up participants from two trials completed in the nineties which had been conducted to analyse the effect that reducing salt in the diet had on blood pressure. The reduction in the risk of developing cardiovascular problems as a result of the sodium reduction intervention was substantial. The results showed these pre-hypertensive (pre-high blood pressure) individuals were 25% less likely to develop cardiovascular problems over the course of the 10-15 years post-trial. There was also a 20% lower mortality rate. This risk reduction was evident in each trial.

Children who eat a Mediterranean diet packed with fruit, vegetables and nuts are less likely to develop asthma and allergies, say researchers. A study carried out on the Greek island of Crete found eating high quantities of traditional foods such as olive oil could protect youngsters from wheezing and other allergic symptoms.

Researchers found eight out of 10 children ate fresh fruit — and over two thirds of them fresh vegetables — at least twice a day. The effect of diet was strongest on allergic rhinitis which results in a runny or blocked nose, but it also gave protection against asthma symptoms and skin allergies. Children who ate nuts at least three times a week were less likely to wheeze, as well as those who enjoyed grapes.

But high consumption of margarine doubled the chances of asthma and allergic rhinitis, says a report published in the medical journal Thorax. Researchers believe the epidemic of asthma in developed countries could be linked to a move away from natural, fresh foods to fast foods — as has happened here since the 1970s. In recent years the Mediterranean diet has been thought to also improve heart health and stave off cancer because it is high in fruit, vegetables, fish and ‘healthy’ fats such as those in olive oil, while low in red meat and dairy products.

In April 2007 researchers announced the discovery of the first common gene link to obesity. They reviewed genetic data on more than 38,000 children and adults in the U.K. and Europe and a certain variation in the FTO gene was associated with extra body fat, obesity, and type 2 diabetes.

The finding sheds new light on the genetics of obesity but the researchers were also keen to point out that diet and exercise still count and are very important factors in influencing obesity risk and regardless of your genetic makeup it remains important to try to eat sensibly and exercise.