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Most eat nearly double the recommended amount of salt: Study

Written by: QMI Agency
Mar. 21, 2013

(Barry Gray/QMI Agency File Photo)

Three-quarters of the world’s population eats almost twice the daily recommended amount of salt, the American Heart Association said Thursday.

Sodium intake worldwide averages at nearly 4,000 mg a day, according to 2010 figures.

“We hope our findings will influence national governments to develop public health interventions to lower sodium,” said lead study author Dr. Saman Fahimi, a visiting scientist at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.

Researchers analyzed 247 surveys to gather data of the world’s salt intake.

The World Health Organization recommends no more than 2,000 mg of sodium a day, while the American Heart Association recommends limiting salt to less than 1,500 mg.

Researchers found Kazakhstan had the highest average intake at 6,000 mg per day. Canadians eat an average of 3,400 mg of salt each day.

Too much salt raises blood pressure and can cause cardiovascular disease — the No. 1 cause of death in the world.

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