High sodium food consumption pattern among Malaysian population

Mohamad Hasnan Ahmad,Ruhaya Salleh,Wan Nur Khairunnisa Wan Kozil,Graham Macgregor,Feng J He,Cheong Siew Man,Noor Safiza Mohammad Noor,Tahir Aris,Fatimah Othman

doi:10.1186/s41043-021-00230-5

Mohamad Hasnan Ahmad, Ruhaya Salleh + Show 7 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/s41043-021-00230-5

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Abstract

BackgroundSodium is an essential mineral needed by the human body that must be obtained from food. An excess intake, however, can lead to many diseases. As food is the main source of sodium, this study aims to provide information on high sodium food consumption patterns in the Malaysian adult population.MethodsThe Malaysian Community Salt Study (MyCoSS) was a nationwide cross-sectional study, conducted between October 2017 and March 2018. A multistage complex sample was applied to select a nationally representative sample of respondents aged 18 years and above. Face to face interview by a validated Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) comprising 104 food items was used to gain information on high sodium food consumption patterns.ResultsA total of 1047 respondents were involved in this study, with 1032 (98.6%) answering the FFQ. From the number, 54.1% exceed the recommendation of sodium intake <2000mg/day by FFQ assessment. The results also demonstrated that fried vegetables (86.4%) were the most common high sodium food consumed, followed by bread (85.9%) and omelet (80.3%). In urban areas, bread was the most common while fried vegetables took the lead in rural areas. By sex, bread was most commonly eaten by males and fried vegetables by females. The results also found that kolok mee/kampua mee contributed the highest sodium, 256.5mg/day in 9.0% adult population, followed by soy sauce 248.1mg/day in 33.2% adult population, and curry noodles 164.2mg/day in 18.5% adult population.ConclusionFried vegetables, bread, and soy sauce were the main source of sodium consumption among adult. Reducing the amount of sodium added to these foods should be the top priority to reduce population sodium intake and thereby prevent sodium-related diseases in Malaysia.

Highlights

Sodium is an essential mineral needed by the human body that must be obtained from food
Study design and study population Data were taken from the Malaysian Community Salt Survey (MyCoSS), a nationwide cross-sectional study conducted between October 2017 and March 2018
The percentage of individuals who consumed these two food items was only 9.0% and 33.2%, respectively (Table 5). Those who consumed ≥2000 mg sodium per day were found to have a higher intake of fried vegetable, roti canai/roti telur, omelet, fried rice, and chicken curry compared to those who consumed less than 2000 mg sodium per day according to 24-h urinary sodium analysis (Table 6). This nationwide survey showed that the top five high sodium foods most frequently consumed by Malaysian adults were fried vegetables, white bread/wholemeal bread, omelet, fried chicken with spices and fried rice

Summary

Introduction

Sodium is an essential mineral needed by the human body that must be obtained from food. As food is the main source of sodium, this study aims to provide information on high sodium food consumption patterns in the Malaysian adult population. The role of sodium is to maintain electrolyte and water balance in the human body. It is important in nerve and muscle function [1]. In Malaysia, the prevalence rates of diseases associated with high sodium intake are high. The overall prevalence of hypertension (known and undiagnosed) among adults of 18 years and above in Malaysia in 2015 was 30.3%. The prevalence of obesity in the same age group was 17.7% [4].

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