A study by Vanderbilt Health has found that excessive salting of food can lead to a 15% increase in heart failure risks. The study, which involved 25,300 participants in the southeast, found that consuming an average of 4,200 milligrams of dietary sodium a day, compared to the recommended maximum of 2,300 mg. The researchers suggested that even modest reductions in sodium consumption could significantly reduce the burden of heart failure in this high-risk population. The increased risk was independent of sociodemographic factors such as diet quality and caloric intake.