By Julie Steenhuysen

CHICAGO, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Widespread efforts to cut salt intake, curb smoking and to ensure those at risk of heart disease take needed drugs could prevent millions of deaths each year, international researchers said on Tuesday.

Such simple measures would cost little, but save billions of dollars in lost productivity and health costs, researchers from the World Health Organization and others said in a special report in the Lancet medical journal.

They looked at prevention efforts in 23 low- and middle- income countries -- including China, India, Russia, Brazil, Turkey, Mexico, Pakistan, South Africa, Poland and Nigeria --- in which 80 percent of global deaths from chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer and diabetes occur.

Reducing salt intake by 15 percent and implementing tobacco control measures such as raising taxes, enforcing smoke-free workplaces and public awareness efforts would prevent nearly 14 million deaths over 10 years at a cost of less than 40 cents per person in low- to middle-income countries, Dr. Perviz Asaria of Kings Fund London reported.

The cost would be 50 cents to $1 per person in high-income countries like the United States, they said.

High salt intake can cause high blood pressure, which can raise the risk of stroke and heart attack. The WHO recommends no more than 5 grams of salt per day.

Asaria and colleagues said salt consumption could be cut by reducing salt content in processed foods and running a mass media campaign to encourage people to use less salt.

"Our findings show that over 10 years, 13.8 million deaths could be averted if the selected measures to reduce tobacco and salt exposure were implemented," they wrote.

Most of the deaths prevented, some 76 percent, would be from heart disease, followed by about 15 percent from respiratory disease and nearly 9 percent from cancer.

In a separate study, Stephen Lim of the University of Washington in Seattle and colleagues said efforts to target and treat people at high risk of heart disease in low- to middle-income countries could avert nearly 18 million deaths in 10 years.

They projected the impact of offering people at high risk of heart disease a daily regimen of aspirin, two common blood pressure pills and a cholesterol-lowering drug.

The cocktail would cost $47 billion over 10 years, or an average of $1.08 per person per year.

Heart disease, stroke and diabetes in the 23 countries studied will cause a loss of $84 billion in economic production between 2006 and 2015, according to Dr. Colin Mathers of the World Health Organization.

"The rising burden of chronic disease will be especially severe in low income and middle income countries, which are those that can least afford a health-related setback to development," Mathers wrote.

(Editing by Maggie Fox and Eric Beech)

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