High salt intake poses health hazards
Staff Reporter :
The sodium intake of each individual in the country is almost double the prescribed amount by the World Health Organisation (WHO), and it is posing many health concerns, the experts said.
As per the WHO guidelines, a person needs five grammes of salt per day to keep the body healthy, but in Bangladesh, a person consumes on average nine grammes of salt per day, which is nearly double the recommended amount.
The concerning issue is that there are no specific laws regarding the use of excessive sodium in food items.
Although there are laws related to iodized salt and safe food in the country, there is no mention of salt intake in those laws.
As a result, food companies are using salt as desired to enhance the taste of their products, experts said.
Additionally, although the Packaged Food Labelling Act of 2017 requires the amount of salt present in processed foods to be mentioned on the label, in most cases, it is not being adhered to.
According to the WHO, consuming just one packet of chips provides half the daily required amount of salt.
In a survey, the National Heart Foundation Hospital stated that most processed packaged foods on the market contain more salt than the recommended safe level.
A study conducted in 2023 found that 97 percent of people in Bangladesh consume processed packaged foods at least once a week.
It found that most of the processed foods in the packets, including biscuits, chips, chanachur, noodles, instant soup, jhalmuri, pickles, etc., contain more sodium than the permissible limit of safe food.
Considering the safe limit of 750 milligrammes of salt per 100 grammes of food, it was found that 62 percent of processed packaged foods contain high levels of salt.
From June 2021 to June 2022, the Heart Foundation collected samples of 1,397 types of processed packaged foods from eight divisional cities to determine the presence of salt in processed foods available on the market.
Out of the 105 types of processed packaged foods tested in the lab, it was found that 62 percent of them contained excessive salt.
Among them, 35.2 percent had significantly higher levels, and 26.7 percent had slightly higher levels of salt presence. Only 38.1% of the processed packaged foods contained salt in the correct amount.
The National Heart Foundation stated that various companies add extra salt to packaged foods to enhance taste.
Consumption of such foods in moderation is essential for maintaining good health, it is recommended.
Public health experts warn that if excess salt is not reduced from packaged foods immediately, the number of strokes, high blood pressure, and heart attacks will only continue to rise.
“Increased blood pressure alone can damage several vital organs in the body, including the eyes, kidneys, and others,” they said.
Moreover, the risk of bone loss or osteoporosis will also increase if salt intake is not reduced.
Dr. Abu Mohammad Zakir Hossain, a professor and public health expert, told this correspondent that salt is not very beneficial for adults, but it is essential for children up to the age of five.
“It is advisable to minimise salt intake as much as possible. Salt only enhances the taste of food, but if salt is discarded, it won’t harm health. The government itself can take initiative to address this issue,” Zakir added.
According to the WHO, every year, on average, 18 lakh people die from the consumption of excessive sodium. Public health experts stated that consumers must check the ‘low sodium content’ labels on the packets of processed foods.
