World Salt Awareness Week

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease (CVD), including stroke, heart attack and heart failure, is the leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Raised blood pressure (BP) is a major cause of CVD, responsible for 62% of stroke and 49% of coronary heart disease cases. There is much evidence for a causal relationship between salt intake and BP. The current salt intake in many countries around the world is between 9 g ⁄d and 12 g ⁄d (ie, 3.6–4.8 g of sodium). Randomized trials have demonstrated that a modest reduction in salt intake lowers BP in individuals with raised BP and also in those with ‘‘normal’’ BP. Furthermore, there is a dose-response relationship. Within the range of 12 g ⁄d to 3 g ⁄d, the lower the salt intake, the lower the BP. Because raised BP throughout its range is a major cause of CVD, salt reduction would reduce cardiovascular risk. It was estimated that a reduction of 6 g ⁄d in salt intake would reduce stroke by 24% and coronary heart disease by 18%. This would prevent approximately 35,000 stroke and coronary heart disease deaths a year in the United Kingdom and approximately 2.5 million deaths worldwide. Both prospective studies and outcome trials have demonstrated that a lower salt intake is related to a reduced risk of CVD. Salt reduction is one of the most cost-effective interventions to reduce CVD in both developed and developing countries. For example, the UK salt reduction campaign, which resulted in a fall in salt intake by approximately 10% (ie, from 9.5 g ⁄d in 2003 to 8.6 g ⁄d by May 2008), cost just £15 million and led to approximately 6000 fewer CVD deaths per year, saving the UK economy approximately £1.5 billion per annum according to the recent report by the UK government’s health advisory agency, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. In most developed countries, approximately 80% of salt consumed is added to foods at the stage of manufacturing, and the consumers have no say over how much salt is added. Therefore, to achieve a reduction in population salt intake, it is imperative that the food industry make a gradual and sustained reduction in the amount of salt that is added to all foods. This approach has been successful in the United Kingdom and is now being expanded worldwide. World Salt Awareness Week was introduced by the salt reduction action group World Action on Salt and Health (WASH) in 2008. The event serves as a platform for international experts in the fields of hypertension and nephrology to raise the profile of the importance of salt reduction to both the public and health professionals worldwide.