A report published Thursday by the World Health Organization (WHO) concludes that most countries are far from reducing up to 30% the sodium intake (present above all in table salt) among its inhabitants, the goal set by the organization for the year 2025.
Excessive sodium intake raises the risk of heart disease, stroke, and premature death, although links to other conditions such as gastric cancer, obesity, osteoporosis, and kidney disease have been documented in recent years.
The organization calculates that the average intake of salt worldwide is 10.8 grams per day, which is more than double the dose of 5 grams recommended by the WHO.
Currently, only nine countries – Brazil, Chile, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Spain and Uruguay – have implemented the measures recommended by the WHO.
“Most countries have yet to adopt laws that require them to reduce the amount of sodium present in food, and, therefore, leave their citizens at the mercy of heart attacks, strokes and other serious health problems”warned the director general of the organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Companies in the food sector were asked by the Ethiopian expert to apply the WHO reference values for sodium content in their products.
Intervene in the Food Market
The proposals made by the WHO to intervene in the food market and reduce the presence of sodium in them are the reprocessing of some foods so that they contain less salt and the implementation of public policies that limit hypersodic foods in hospitals, schools , work centers and residences.
In addition, the organization recommends clearly labeling which products are lower in sodium and suggests launching media campaigns that encourage reduced salt intake.
“There are measures that governments can apply, including important innovations such as low sodium salts”pointed out Tom Frieden, president of the NGO Resolve to Save Lives, which collaborates with different governments with the goal of avoiding one hundred million deaths from cardiovascular diseases in the next three decades.
Source: EFE
Source: Gestion
Ricardo is a renowned author and journalist, known for his exceptional writing on top-news stories. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he is known for his ability to deliver breaking news and insightful analysis on the most pressing issues of the day.
