I tried the UK's 'saltiest' sandwich - here's what I learned

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. I tried the UK's 'saltiest' sandwich - here's what I learned20 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleJames GallagherHealth and science correspondentEmma Lynch/BBCJames Gallagher takes a break from packed lunches in the name of researchI couldn't resist. This week it was revealed a chicken sandwich is packing as much salt as five McDonald's cheeseburgers - putting it top of a naughty list of more than 500 sandwiches analysed. The sarnie, sold by bakery chain Gail's, contains 6.

That's more than the UK's recommended daily limit of 6g, or the World Health Organization's 5g cap. So, it's clearly not the healthiest choice. But succumbing to the siren song of salt, I left my packed lunch at home to give it a whirl and find out what regularly eating too much salt is doing to our health.

The Details

I nipped out before the lunchtime rush and my first impression was "it's massive" followed swiftly by "how much? 90 is one pricey sandwich. Peeling back the wrapping I'm holding a 1,000 calorie triple decker – three slices of bread with two layers of filling.

One is a thick cut of bacon with salad, the other smoked chicken and coleslaw. Emma Lynch/BBCA bit of me wanted to hate it, to be overwhelmed by its salt content and find it unpalatable. But it was fantastic.

You certainly know the salt is there - but taste-wise it hit the spot and you realise why salt is added to our food. I didn't finish it though, but there was no shortage of volunteers back in the newsroom to help me out. However, this week's latest on salt by the World Health Organization did not make the best lunchtime reading.

What Experts Say

Director of nutrition, Dr Luz Maria De Regil, said "excess salt consumption remains among the top preventable drivers of death globally" and put the figure at 1. So as my body absorbs all that salt from one meal, what is it doing to me and why are we all eating so much? Emma Lynch/BBCA pile of salt weighing 6.

88g next to the triple-decker club sandwichChemically, table salt is sodium chloride. The human body needs some sodium to function and you can find the element in nearly every cell of the body. It's needed for our nerves to communicate with each other and for the body to maintain the right balance of water.

"But the amount we need is actually very, very small in the grand scheme of things," Sonia Pombo, a researcher at Queen Mary University of London and head of research at Action on Salt and & Sugar, tells me, "especially in comparison to the amount of salt we're actually eating. " Action on Salt & Sugar reviewed the salt content of 546 sandwiches in the UKToo much salt has many effects on the body, but the clearest evidence is on how it impacts blood pressure. The salt we eat ends up in the bloodstream where it draws in extra water and increases the volume of our blood.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.