New Delhi: Adhering to WHO-recommended sodium intake levels could prevent three lakh deaths from heart disease and chronic kidney disease within 10 years, according to a modeling study by the World Health Organization (WHO).
High levels of sodium, a major component of salt, is one of the major dietary risks for death and disability. In high-income countries, packaged foods are a major source of sodium intake, a trend increasingly seen in low- and middle-income countries as well.
However, researchers, including those from The George Institute for Global Health, Hyderabad, said India currently lacks a national sodium reduction strategy. Indians consume almost double the WHO-recommended food intake, which is further exacerbated by increased consumption of packaged foods.
WHO recommends reducing sodium intake to less than two grams per day – which is equivalent to less than one teaspoon or five grams of salt per day.
Published in The Lancet Public Health journal, the study highlighted significant potential health benefits and cost savings from meeting these sodium intake guidelines within a decade.
The benefits include preventing 1.7 million cardiovascular events – such as heart attacks and strokes – and seven million new chronic kidney disease cases, as well as an estimated US$800 million in savings.
“The modeling results make a strong case for India to mandate implementation of the WHO sodium benchmarks, especially as people increasingly consume packaged foods,” the authors said.
WHO's global targets for non-communicable disease prevention and control include a 30 percent reduction in sodium intake by 2025.
Other countries, including the UK, Argentina and South Africa, have successfully set sodium content targets in packaged foods and engaged manufacturers to reformulate products. This approach has been effective in reducing sodium intake in their population.
The researchers said that in India, there are limited interventions to address high levels of sodium intake.
The 'Eat Right India' initiative launched in 2018 by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare aims to educate the public on healthy eating, including reducing sodium consumption.
However, the researchers noted that the impact of adopting sodium targets for packaged foods on sodium intake nationwide remains unclear.
The study suggests that reducing sodium consumption is an important step to tackle rising rates of heart and kidney disease in India. Meeting WHO sodium recommendations could prevent deaths from heart, kidney disease: Study