Coffee is thought to be the most popular hot drink in the world, with around two billion cups consumed every day.
Not only do people love the flavour, but the kick of caffeine provides an energetic start to the day. Studies have also shown drinking it in moderation can help reduce the risk of conditions such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
However, a new trend going viral on social media platform TikTok has left some health experts concerned.
People are adding a pinch of salt to their coffee as a way to counteract the bitterness of the drink and boost flavours.
While a small amount of salt is unlikely to cause harm, having too much especially if you have high blood pressure could be dangerous.
Speaking to Express.co.uk, a coffee expert weighed in on best practices amid the rising trend.
Elyas Coutts, chief executive officer at Connect Vending, explained: “Adding salt to your cup of coffee has been around for years in areas like Vietnam, Hungary and Siberia.
“However recently Brits are getting a taste of the concept, after putting salt in your coffee has gone viral on TikTok, becoming a polarising topic on the internet.
“Since gaining attention on TikTok, 8,000 people have searched for ‘salt in coffee’ in the past month alone, showing a rising curiosity towards the concept.
“Whilst coffee taste is very subjective, many people enjoy the addition of salt in coffee because it can reduce the bitterness of the drink and summon additional flavour profiles.”
There are some benefits to the body, according to Elyas.
He said: “There are actually some health benefits to adding salt to coffee, with the body requiring sodium in order to balance water and electrolytes, contract and relax muscles and transfer nerve impulses.”
But he warned: “However, it is important to note that it is easy to over consume salt, which can have negative health impacts – especially to those with higher blood pressure.”
Eating too much salt can not only raise your blood pressure but it can increase your risk of developing heart and circulatory diseases.
According to the British Heart Foundation (BHF), we’re eating an average of 8.6 grams of salt a day rather than the 6g limit recommended for adults.
Therefore, adding extra salt into our coffee may be inadvisable.
“More of a problem is the salt that we don’t add ourselves: a staggering 75 percent of the salt that we eat is added before it even goes into our shopping baskets,” the BHF says.
“This means that as well as having trouble controlling the amount we eat, we develop a taste for salt and this affects our expectations of how particular foods should taste.”
If you want to try adding salt to your coffee, Elyas said: “My recommendation would be a pinch of salt to add to the flavour profile, which will dissolve naturally during the brewing stage.
“While some barristers are adamant that you need more salt in the drink, we think it is important not to overdo it, for health and taste reasons.
“The trend is showing no signs of slowing down in 2024, so get ready to embrace salt as coffee’s latest addition.”
If you are concerned about your blood pressure you should speak to your GP.
