A first-of-its-kind World Health Organization (WHO) Global report on sodium intake released on Wednesday shows the world is off-track to achieve its global target of reducing sodium intake by 30% by 2025.
Sodium, an essential nutrient, increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, and premature death when eaten in excess. The main source of sodium is table salt or sodium chloride, but it is also contained in other condiments such as sodium glutamate.
The report shows that only 3% of the world’s population is protected by mandatory sodium reduction policies and 73% of WHO Member States lack the full range of implementation of such policies. Implementing highly cost-effective sodium reduction policies could save an estimated 7 million lives globally by 2030.
It is an important component of action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal target of reducing deaths from Non-Communicable diseases. But today, only nine countries; Brazil, Chile, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Spain, and Uruguay) have a comprehensive package of recommended policies to reduce sodium intake.
“Unhealthy diets are a leading cause of death and disease globally, and excessive sodium intake is one of the main culprits,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General in a statement shared alongside the report.
“This report shows that most countries are yet to adopt any mandatory sodium reduction policies, leaving their people at risk of heart attack, stroke, and other health problems. WHO calls on all countries to implement the ‘Best Buys’ for sodium reduction, and on manufacturers to implement the WHO benchmarks for sodium content in food”.
According to the statement, a comprehensive approach to sodium reduction includes adopting mandatory policies and WHO’s four “best buy” interventions related to sodium which greatly contribute to preventing Non- Communicable Diseases (NCDs).
They include reformulating foods to contain less salt and setting targets for the amount of sodium in foods and meals, establishing public food procurement policies to limit salt or sodium-rich foods in public institutions such as hospitals, schools, workplaces, and nursing homes.
Other recommendations are front-of-package labeling that helps consumers select products lower in sodium and behavior-change communication. However, according to WHO, mandatory sodium reduction policies are more effective if countries are to achieve the salt reduction targets as they achieve broader coverage and safeguard against commercial interests while providing a level playing field for food manufacturers.
As part of the report, WHO developed a Sodium country scorecard for Member States based on the type and number of sodium reduction policies they have in place. According to Dr. Tom Frieden, President and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives, a global not-for-profit organization working with countries to prevent 100 million deaths from cardiovascular disease over 30 years, there are proven measures that governments can quickly implement and important innovations, such as low sodium salts.
The global average salt intake is estimated to be 10.8 grams per day, more than double the WHO recommendation of less than 5 grams of salt per day (one teaspoon). Eating too much salt makes it the top risk factor for diet and nutrition-related deaths. More evidence is emerging documenting links between high sodium intake and increased risk of other health conditions such as gastric cancer, obesity, osteoporosis, and kidney disease.