Researchers said that reducing people’s salt intake by one teaspoon a day could save around four million lives worldwide every year.

Three million deaths from heart disease could be prevented and an equal number of strokes could be avoided.

People in the UK, on an average, and other Western countries eat almost 10g of salt a day, despite the World Health Organization (WHO) recommending 5g or one teaspoon.

As per the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in the UK, 26 million Britons consume excessive salt every day, way above its own recommendation of 6g daily.

The researchers from Italy and UK have reviewed 13 studies which involved more than 170,000 people and found a direct link between salt and the risk of stroke or heart disease.

The studies were done from 1996-2008 and involved more than 10,000 vascular events such as heart attacks or strokes.

The overall review, which was published online in the British medical Journal (BMJ), found that people who regularly consumed 5g of salt a day too much had a 23% greater risk of stroke.