Many population studies have linked a high-salt diet to high rates of hypertension and shown that in societies where they consume little salt, their blood pressure typically does not rise with age.

(A) shown that in societies where they consume little salt, their
(B) shown that in societies that have consumed little salt, their
(C) shown that in societies where little salt is consumed,
(D) they showed that in societies where little salt is consumed,
(E) they showed that in societies where they consume little salt, their


I thought that there's a rule that says "where" can only refer to specific place and for abstract use "in which" instead.