For thousands of years, humans have used salt to make food taste better and last longer - and also, as it turns out, to gradually increase their risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney disease, and cognitive decline. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends adults consume no more than five grams of salt per day, a target that most people apparently treat as a friendly suggestion rather than a rule.

A new study published in Frontiers in Public Health examined the salt-shaking habits of 8,300 Brazilians aged 60 and older, and found that while men are more likely to add salt at the table, women’s relationship with the saltshaker is far more complicated - like a romantic drama, but with sodium.

“Adding salt to food at the table remains a relatively common habit among Brazilian older adults and occurs more frequently among men than among women,” said first author Dr. Flávia Brito, an associate professor at Rio de Janeiro State University. Specifically, 12.7% of men reported routinely adding extra salt, compared with 9.4% of women.

For men, the decision to sprinkle seems straightforward: only two factors were linked to the habit. Men following a special diet to manage high blood pressure were less than half as likely to add salt - presumably because their doctors used words like “stroke” and “you’re going to die.” Men living alone were 62% more likely to add salt, which may or may not be related to the absence of anyone to judge their seasoning choices.

Women, by contrast, showed a pattern that suggests their salt habit is influenced by a constellation of dietary and lifestyle factors. Those not following a diet for high blood pressure had 68% higher odds of adding extra salt. Women in urban areas were twice as likely to do so, and the same increase was seen among women who frequently consumed ultra-processed foods. On the flip side, women who regularly ate fruits were 81% less likely to add salt, and those who ate vegetables were 40% less likely - suggesting that a healthy diet may come with a built-in salt aversion.

“Women’s salt-adding behavior appeared to be more closely linked to broader dietary patterns and contextual characteristics,” said co-author Dr. Débora Santos, a titular professor at Rio de Janeiro State University. In other words, men just shake; women consider the whole ecosystem.

The researchers note that the study doesn’t prove cause and effect, and that self-reported salt habits may not be entirely accurate - people tend to forget the extra shake they added when no one was watching. They also point out that regular consumption of high-sodium foods can dull taste buds, making people crave even saltier food, a vicious cycle that the food industry has been happy to fuel.

“The use of herbs and natural seasonings as alternatives to salt or culinary techniques such as using the acidity of citrus fruits may help reduce discretionary salt use while maintaining food palatability,” concluded Santos. “Practical strategies, such as avoiding the routine placement of saltshakers on the table, may also help reduce habitual salt use.”

Because apparently, if the saltshaker isn’t there, you can’t use it. Revolutionary.