ARE YOU EATING TOO MUCH SALT?
Blood pressure is on the up and this costs our NHS £2billion per
year. The NHS are now looking at ways to
nip this problem in the bud by better educating the young population in the
hope of tackling the problem before it gets a grip.
Most people know that high levels of salt are potentially damaging,
however, can we ever know exactly what we’re eating, is food labelling really
accurate enough to be reliable and how do we know how much is too much?
We all eat salt every day, but do we ever give a thought as to what
level we and our families are consuming?
The daily recommended allowance for adults is 6g, which is equivalent to
approx. one teaspoon; and 3g for children.
We do need some salt (or sodium to give it its correct name) in our
diet to make our muscles and nervous system work and regulate our fluid levels,
however, there is enough naturally available in a normal healthy diet so it’s
not necessary to add more.
Salt is not a nutrient, it is a chemical additive in modern foods and
there is a clear and direct link between salt consumption and levels of blood
pressure in later life. High blood
pressure is the number one trigger to suffering a stroke and there are also
indicators between blood pressure and risk of heart disease. So there are clear dangers associated with
eating too much salt.
A recent study also revealed that the number of children now being
treated for high blood pressure has tripled in the ten years from 2004-2014**
But food labels can’t be relied upon for honesty by manufacturers as when tested many, immediately
recognisable high street brands, had wildly inaccurate labels stating their
levels of salt, in fact some actually contained as much as double the specified
amount. Some even gave the salt quantity
as sodium, which is a different measurement altogether, and it’s unlikely that most
people would know that you’d need to multiply that figure x2.5 to get the salt
content – so some of the labelling is misinformation and some is just highly confusing.
It is believed that most people consume around 30% more than the
current daily guidelines. Although some medical experts are now questioning whether
the current advice is acceptable from a safety point of view and would like to see it reduced further.
Recommended levels used to be set by the Food Standards Industry. However, this department was scrapped and replaced with a Government 'Health Policy'. This is a sort of voluntary code or pledge that food manufacturers are supposed to adhere to. All very woolly to put manufacturers in charge of responsibility for public health when many of them believe that higher levels of salt with in their products affect the taste and a reduction in salt would immediately be reflected in a reduction in sales.
Many experts though agree that if salt levels were reduced then peoples' taste buds would naturally acclimatise very quickly. It is shocking that those who have the most to gain are allowed this much influence over policy affecting public health.
Figures and statistics are bandied around but current thinking links a reduction of 1g of salt per adult per day to an NHS cost saving of £288m per annum on blood pressure medication and blood pressure related illnesses. So, by the Government shirking on taking responsibility for legislating on this issue and allowing it instead to be driven by food industry profits they are effectively shooting themselves in the foot and missing out on a massive saving to the health budget.
Some health professionals and parliamentary advisers believe that now is the time for the government to tighten up on legislation and enforcement of this important issue that they've ducked for too long.
**Test results were across the 29 NHS Trusts who responded
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