High salt diet has been linked with increased risk of gastric cancer.   For instance, early studies found that in some Asian countries such as Japan, people who liked eating fish preserved in high salt were more likely to develop stomach cancer than those who did not eat or eat less preserved fish.

The mechanism behind the link has not been fully understood.   A new study presented recently at the American Society for Microbiology conference offers an explanation why high salt increases the risk.

According to the researchers, high salt can activate two genes in Helicobacter pylori, a bacterium responsible of 90 percent of duodenal ulcers and 80 percent of gastric cancer, increasing the virulence of the bacterium and the odds of developing gastric disease.

The researchers said high salt diet can inhibit growth of the carcinogenic bacterium, but it forces the bacterium to change itself to better its survival, making itself a more dangerous carcinogen.