Increasing salt content in soy sauce, processed foods may lead to death: WHO

In a recently released report, WHO has said that salt intake Less than 5 grams per person per day (about 2 grams of sodium) is recommended to prevent cardiovascular diseases, the leading cause of death globally.

It should be noted that of the 194 WHO member states committed to reducing salt by 30% within 2025, a target set in 2013, only 5% have implemented comprehensive sodium-reduction policies.

In many high-income countries, about 75% of salt in the diet comes from processed foods and meals prepared outside the home. In many low- and middle-income countries, most sodium consumption Salt comes from salt added in cooking and at the table or at home through condiments such as fish sauce and soy sauce.

Sodium is an essential nutrient, but consuming too much increases a person’s risk of heart disease, stroke and premature death, which accounts for about 2 million deaths worldwide each year, according to the Institute. Excerpted from For Health Metrics and Evaluation. CNN,

The report states that the estimated global average salt intake is 10.8 grams per day, which is twice the WHO recommendation of less than 5 grams per day in adults.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus took to Twitter to post a message on salt consumption.

“Excessive salt intake is one of the leading risk factors for heart disease, stroke and death,” Tedros posted on the micro-blogging site Twitter.

The report rated country implementation of sodium-reduction policies with a “Sodium Country Score Card” from 1 (lowest level of implementation) to 4 (highest level of implementation).

According to the WHO only nine countries had a score of 4, meaning they had comprehensive sodium-reduction policies: Brazil, Chile, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Spain and Uruguay.

WHO calls on countries to implement sodium-related interventions, including reformulating processed foods to contain less salt, establishing policies to limit sodium-rich foods in public institutions, and front-of-package labeling that helps consumers choose products that are lower in sodium.

The WHO says such policies could save an estimated 7 million lives globally by 2030 and reduce sodium intake by over 20%.

The World Health Organization has estimated that two-thirds of the total 57 million deaths worldwide in 2008 were due to non-communicable diseases, which is projected to rise to three-quarters (44 million) by 2020.