Meeting WHO's Sodium Recommendations Could Avert Deaths From Heart, Kidney Disease: Study

Complying with WHO-recommended levels of sodium intake could avert three lakh deaths due to heart and chronic kidney disease in 10 years, a modelling study by World Health Organization has estimated.

High levels of sodium -- an ingredient of salt -- are one of main dietary risks of death and disability. Packaged foods are a major source of sodium intake in high-income countries, and increasingly becoming so in low- and middle-income countries.

However, researchers, including those from George Institute for Global Health, Hyderab, said that India has no national strategy for sodium reduction despite people consuming double recommended intake and increasing amounts of packaged foods.

WHO recommends under two grams of sodium a day, which is roughly same as less than a teaspoon or five grams of salt a day.

Published in Lancet Public Health journal, results suggested substantial health gains and cost savings within first ten years of compliance, including averting 17 lakh cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks and strokes, and seven lakh new chronic kidney disease cases, along with savings of USD 800 million.

authors said that results from modelling make a strong case for India to mandate implementation of WHO's sodium benchmarks, especially as people are increasingly consuming packaged food.

Slashing sodium intake in population by 30 per cent by 2025 is one of nine global targets recommended by WHO for prevention and control of non-communicable diseases.

Countries, including UK, Argentina, and South Africa, have shown that setting targets regarding sodium content in packaged foods along with engaging food manufacturers to reformulate sodium to meet targets, can effectively lower levels across packaged foods, and reby reduce intake in population, authors said.

In India, few interventions dress issue of consuming high levels of sodium, y said.

Launched in 2018 by Food Safety and Standard Authority of India under Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, current national initiative, 'Eat Right India', aims to educate people about healthy eating, including cutting down on sodium, researchers said.

However, how opting sodium targets for packaged foods could potentially impact intake across country's population was not known, y said. 

--PTI---