Just when you had __1__ how to manage fat in your diet, researchers are now warning against another common mealtime pit-fall—salt. A study by researchsers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), Stanford University and Columbia University shows that even a modest decrease in daily salt intake can __2__ dramatic health benefits. The authors documented an annual drop of as many as 120,000 cases of __3__, 66,000 instances of stroke and 99,000 heart attacks caused by high blood pressure after a 3-g-per-day reduction in salt. The advantage, not surprisingly, were greater for African Americans, who are more likely to develop __4__ than other ethnic groups, and for the elderly, since blood vessels stiffen with age, which can lead to higher blood pressure. "Everyone in the U.S. is __5__ salt far in excess of what is good for them," says lead author Dr. Kristen Bibbins-Domingo of UCSF. "what we are suggesting is that a population-wide effort to reduce salt intake, even slightly, will have health benefits." The team __6__ to determine the impact of a 3-g-per-day reduction in salt intake on rates of heart disease and death. They also calculated the cost savings __7__ the amount of disease that would be avoided because of lower blood pressure. The conclusion: by cutting salt intake nationwide, the U.S. could save $10.