Sodium reduction
Reducing sodium content by reformulating processed foods is a proven strategy to reduce sodium intake.
terms in defiance of a tax enforced by their British colonial overlords. The initiative gained global acclaim and bolstered India’s case for independence. Nowadays the conflict over salt consumption is more or less confined to the kitchen or to public health policy. While sodium plays a vital role within the human body due to it being a valuable electrolyte – enabling nerves and muscles to function correctly – it is broadly understood that too much of it can increase risks of cardiovascular diseases, kidney disease and the chances of a stroke.
“Access to affordable, healthy foods is critically important for all people in every country.”
Dr Tom Frieden, Resolve to Save Lives
3,400mg The estimated
amount of sodium consumed each day by Americans – nearly 50% more than the
recommended limit. FDA
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Studies have also shown that higher salt intake is also significantly related to higher body fat mass in both children and adults after adjusting for age, sex, ethnic group, and energy intake. In fact, the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 11 million deaths globally are associated with poor diet, three million of which are attributable to high sodium intakes. Invariably, the relationship between sodium and cardiovascular disease is more complicated than some might think. For instance, a 2016 study published in The Lancet that sampled data from four studies on individuals with and without hyperextension, concluded that “the association between sodium consumption and cardiovascular disease or mortality is U-shaped, with increased risk at both high and low sodium intake”.
A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, that used 24-hour urine collections on more than 10,000 healthy adults, concluded that every 1,000mg per day increase in
sodium excretion (equivalent to 2.5g of salt) was associated with an 18% increased risk of heart disease. Meanwhile, the same study found that 1,000mg of potassium excretion had the inverse effect: lowering the risk of strokes and heart disease by the same percentile. Speaking on the newly released research, Professor Graham MacGregor, professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at Queen Mary University of London, chairman of Action on Salt and co-author of the study, said: “reducing salt is the most cost-effective measure to lower blood pressure and reduce health inequalities”. He also criticised the government, saying that “[for] too long the UK Government has allowed the food industry to be in charge of public health at our expense. The new Office for Health Improvement and Disparities must now get the food industry, either by legislation or taxation, to reduce the amount of salt that they add to the food we buy.” Given the recurring link between high levels of sodium intake and these diseases, governments and health organisations regularly publish guidelines to stipulate the recommended serving of salt that individuals should be consuming on a daily basis.
Meeting the mark
In 2013, the WHO and its member states agreed a global target to reduce the mean sodium intake of the population by 30% by 2025, for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Seven years later, the WHO started to develop global benchmarks for sodium levels in foods across different food categories. The latest report from the organisation released in October 2021, entitled ‘Global Sodium Benchmarks’, reflects a desire to create replicable benchmarks across global borders as similar types of processed food products often contain different
Ingredients Insight /
www.ingredients-insight.com
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