Salt linked to one in 20 Australian deaths
For every person who dies on our roads, five die from high salt intake.
A new report suggests cutting down on salt would save several thousand Australian lives every year.
Excess salt increases blood pressure and the risk of heart attacks and strokes - with salt causing one in 20 Australian deaths.
'The State of Salt' is calling for us to cut how much we’re consuming.
“We’re working towards the new World Health Organisation (WHO) targets which are a 30 per cent reduction in salt intake by 2025,” said professor Jacqui Webster from WHO.
The average Australian consumes about nine grams of salt every day.
The current limit recommended by government and the Heart Foundation is 5.5 grams.
But the WHO wants that slashed to just two grams per day.
VicHealth chief executive officer Jerril Rechter said 75 per cent of salt people consumed came from processed foods.
Packaged breakfast cereals, bread, cheese and biscuits all contain hidden salt used for flavour and as a preservative.
Professor Vlado Perkovic, a kidney specialist from Sydney's Royal North Shore Hospital said many people did not realise how much they were eating.
“People are horrified when they realise just how much they’re having in their diet,” he said.
Salt is listed on nutrition panels of packaged food as sodium. Products with less than 120mg of sodium per 100 grams are low in salt while foods with more than 500mhg are high.
Natural salts in foods are all that is required to reach daily requirements, without having to add more during cooking or at the dinner table.
By reducing salt in take by just 30 per cent, 3000 Australian lives could be saved and more than $50 million less spent on the nation’s healthcare budget each year.
Morning news break – May 13
