Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a bacterium that lives in the stomachs of two out of every three people in the world. This number however is higher in developing countries where H. pylori incidence is more common. H. pylori has been labelled as a main cause for gastritis, dyspepsia, and gastric and duodenal ulcers. It has also recently been speculated as being a cause of gastric cancer. However, much exploration is beginning to show that on its own H. pylori is not sufficient to cause gastric cancer.

The proposal of studying H. Pylori in conjunction with the environmental factor of high-sodium diets was put forward since two-thirds of the population is infected with the H. pylori bacteria, and most are unaware. Also the mean consumption of sodium by the average person is approximately double the recommended amount. These two factors (H. pylori infection and a high-sodium diet) were then examined to find out if, as a combination, they increased the risk for gastric cancer.

Being aware of the dangerous combination of H. pylori infection and high-salt diets is expected to have an impact on people's lifestyle and dietary decisions. By reducing sodium intake, the risk for developing gastric cancer may be reduced.

This original experimental research searching for a link to gastric cancer between H. pylori infection and high-salt consumption has never been studied by analysing the rate of cell proliferation in the gerbil model of infection.