Consume less salt, Indians urged

INDIANS consume salt 2.2 times more than the amount recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), posing severe health risks such as hypertension, strokes and kidney disease, among others, according to ICMR’s National Institute of Epidemiology (NIE).

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The WHO recommends less than Sg per day of salt (roughly under a teaspoon) or below 2g of sodium per day.

However, “the mean salt consumption per day by an Indian is 11g per day, which is 2.2 times more than the WHO recommendation”, the ICMR-NIE said.

According to the research body, regular iodised salt contains 40% of sodium, much higher than the WHO limit. The WHO also suggests the use of low-sodium salt to ward off the risk.

“Major salt source is hidden in Indian diet and the hidden salt is fuelling a real risk,” the scientists said.