Too much salt in food is impacting millions of lives, WHO says - Raw Story

We should all know by now that too much salt in our food is bad for our health.

So why are 3 million people around the world dying every year from the consequences of excessive salt consumption?

World Health Organization (WHO) member states had set a target in 2013 of reducing salt consumption by 30 per cent on average until 2025.

However according to the WHO’s Global Nutrition Report 2020, salt consumption only decreased by 0.2 per cent that year instead of the 2.4 per cent necessary.

In general, the WHO recommends that personal daily salt intake should not exceed 5 grams, since a high-level consumption of salt can increase blood pressure and thus the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

According to the recommendations, 100 grams of biscuits should not contain more than 265 milligrams of salt, for example.

The list covering guideline values for some 60 foods also includes popcorn, nuts and seeds with a maximum level of 280 milligrams of salt per 100 grams, sourdough or yeast bread (330 milligrams) and frozen pizza (450 milligrams).

However experts say people should also avoid going too far when cutting back on salt, as sodium chloride is still essential for the body, even if it is harmful in high doses.

At the same time, sodium and chloride regulate blood pressure, and they are also good for nerve fibre conduction, which affects things like pain and the feeling of being cold or warm.

Numerous studies have also shown that blood pressure rises when the person in question takes more than six grams of common salt per day.

When blood pressure rises, so too does the risk of suffering cardiovascular diseases.

But all hope is not lost, as it's still possible to significantly lower high blood pressure by reducing cooking salt to 5 grams per day.

And yet it is not easy to cut down on salt for health reasons.

The main sources of salt are bread, meat and dairy products.

Four pieces of bread, each weighing 35 grams contain two grams of salt, while the salt content in cured meat is higher than that in uncured meat, and hard cheese contains more salt than cream cheese.

Ready-to-eat meals and instant soup usually contain a lot of salt too, as do snacks including liquorice, which is why the WHO and other health organizations recommend keeping a close watch on salt content when shopping for packaged foods.

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