You might be in luck if your doctor has been pushing you to eat less sodium. Food may now be made to taste saltier than it is due to modern electric chopsticks from Japan.

The chopsticks are managed by a computing device worn on the restaurant’s wrist, which is now co-developed by Meiji University professor Homei Miyashita and Japanese beverage firm Kirin Holdings. They optimize the function of sodium chloride ions in the meal using such a mild electrical current (small enough to not affect health), effectively intensifying any existing salty flavour.

It was also just in time. According to the media, Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare has launched a campaign to support citizens to consume less salt. Some common Japanese products (soy sauce, miso) have low solubility, causing people to ingest an average of 10 grammes of salt per day, even though the recommended daily intake is just seven grammes. Using lower amounts of these components and then using electric chopsticks at the dinner table would allow guests to continue to enjoy their favourite flavours without jeopardising their physical health.

Sodium chloride consumption is associated with a multitude of health problems, including high blood pressure, which can lead to a heart attack or stroke. Reduced sodium intake, on the other hand, can help reduce blood pressure back into a healthy range, lowering the risk of hypertension or cardiac arrest. Japan is far from the only country that is concerned. According to the CDC, lowering overall sodium consumption in the United States “may avert thousands of lives each year.”

These electrical chopsticks will be tested by Miyashita and Kirin until they are ready for commercial use, which they expect would be this year.

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