The George Institute for Global Health has revealed that following the World Health Organization’s (WHO) guidelines for sodium content in packaged foods in India, could prevent 3,00,000 deaths and 2.4 million cases of heart disease, strokes and kidney disease in the first 10 years.
Key points
- High sodium intake is a leading cause of death and illness worldwide.
- Almost all populations consume too much sodium, the WHO states: the global mean intake of adults is 4,310 mg/day sodium (equivalent to 10.78 g/day salt), which is more than double the recommendation for adults of less than 2,000 mg/day sodium (equivalent to < 5 g/day salt).
- Sodium is an essential nutrient necessary for maintenance of plasma volume, acid-base balance, transmission of nerve impulses and normal cell function.
- Sodium is found naturally in a variety of foods, such as milk, meat and shellfish. It is often found in high amounts in processed foods such as breads, processed meat and snack foods, as well as in condiments.
- The primary health effect associated with diets high in sodium is raised blood pressure, increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases, gastric cancer, obesity, osteoporosis, Meniere’s disease, and kidney disease.
- An estimated 1.89 million deaths each year are associated with consuming too much sodium, as per the WHO.
- In 2-23, a survey by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) found that the estimated mean daily salt intake in India stands at 8.0 g (8.9 g/day for men and 7.1 g/day for women) against the recommendation of up to 5 g daily.
- It also noted that the perception of the harmful effects of high salt intake and practices to limit intake was low in the study population.
- While India’s consumption of processed and packaged food is still not as high as that of some high-income countries, it is increasing.
