Bread is second only to table salt when it comes to the sodium content of UK food purchases, closely followed by dried package sauces, bacon, milk and cheese, a new report shows.

Researchers say cutting back on sodium in these popular foods could greatly boost public health, reported Reuters.

"Sodium intakes remain too high in the U.K. and in many other countries, including the United States," lead researcher Dr. Cliona Ni Mhurchu of the University of Auckland, New Zealand, told Reuters Health in an e-mail.

"There is overwhelming evidence that lower sodium intakes can improve blood pressure and reduce risks of heart disease and stroke."

Salt contains just less than 50 percent sodium. The researchers say slashing daily salt intake from the current 9 grams to below 6 grams per person could prevent about 17,500 premature deaths in the U.S. each year. The ultimate goal would be between 1 and 2 grams of salt a day.

To find out which food contained most sodium, Ni Mhurchu and her colleagues collected information on more than 44,000 food products from some 21,000 households in the U.K., where a sodium reduction program has been underway since 2003.

The average British household bought about 14 grams of salt (5.4 grams of sodium) a day, report the researchers in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Apart from table salt, the single largest contributor of daily sodium, they found the biggest sinners were processed meats at 18 percent, bakery products at 13 percent, dairy products at 12 percent and sauces and spreads at 11 percent.

In each category, bacon, bread, milk and sauces topped the list, respectively. And the top brands had higher sodium contents than other products.