China records high salt intakes for four decades in a row
Excess salt intake raises blood pressure and is a major cause for strokes and heart disease. This knowledge seems redundant, as the salt intake of the Chinese population has been consistently high for the past four decades, accounting for some 40% of deaths yearly in China.
A recent review by the National Institute for Health Research has made known that Chinese children and those on the Southern divide eat too much salt – 3 to 6 year-olds are eating the maximum amount recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for adults, at 5g/day, while older children eat almost 9g/day; while Southern China reports a high trend due to growing consumption of processed foods and out-of-home meals.
Feng He, Deputy Director of Action on Salt China, explains, “Salt intake in northern China declined, but is still over double the maximum intake recommended by the WHO, while salt intake actually increased in southern China. Most of the salt consumed in China comes from the salt added by the consumers themselves while cooking. There is also a rapid increase in the consumption of processed foods and of food from street markets, restaurants, and fast food chains.”
Earlier studies found large declines of salt intake across China, from estimates of surveys on people’s dietary habits. However,salt intake assessed by dietary methods is unreliable because most of the salt in the Chinese diet comes from the salt added during home cooking or in sauces, which is highly variable and difficult to quantify. Furthermore, the salt content of processed and out-of-home food tends to be inaccurately reported in food composition tables.
The researchers assure more robust results in the latest study than previous estimates,as salt intake was determined exclusively from data of urine samples taken over a 24 hour period.
While salt (sodium) elevates blood pressure, potassium (found in fruits, vegetables and potassium salt) lowers it, but intake has been low throughout China – potassium consumption is less than half the recommended minimum intake.
The high salt/low potassium figures are deeply concerning for the future health of the Chinese population, and according to Monique Tan from Queen Mary University of London, UK, urgent action is needed to speed up salt reduction and increase potassium intake, as high blood pressure in childhood tracks into adulthood, and easily translates to cardiovascular disease. Graham MacGregor, Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at Queen Mary said, “As much as a fifth of the world’s population lives in China. Achieving salt reduction and increasing potassium intake through a coherent, workable, and nationwide strategy would result in an enormous benefit for global health.”
