study: 8 in 10 here take too much salt

according to the health promotion board, far too many singaporeans are taking too much salt in their diet.

how many?

approximately 8 in 10 singaporeans consumed salt which far exceed the daily recommended consumption of 5 grams a day.

the latest salt intake study found that the average person consumes 8.3 grams of salt daily or more than 60% above the recommended level.

if this is true, most of us will fall into the group consuming far too much salt which is detrimental to our health and well being.

hpb's ceo, mr ang hak seng said:

"salt is a double-edged sword when not handled with care. while a little salt may enhance the flavour of food, over-consumption can raise blood pressure, which in turn is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular diseases."

the study compiled data from 800 participants aged between 18 and 79 years old and was done by collecting urine samples from the participants over a 24-hour period.

those in the age group from 30 to 49 years old consumed the most salt, averaging about 9 grams daily.

in general, men were found to consume about 9.6 grams a day while women consumed about 7.1 grams daily.

my comments:

why is the latest findings on salt consumption of concern?

firstly, approximately 1 in 5 singaporeans aged 18 to 69 has hypertension which can cause stroke, heart attack and kidney failure. and about 1 in 3 deaths in singapore is caused by heart disease and stroke.

and secondly, most singaporeans eat out 60% of the time where there is little control over the consumption of not only salt, but sugar and oil (including trans fat*) as well.

*from wikipedia:

Trans fat is the common name for unsaturated fat with trans-isomer (E-isomer) fatty acid(s). Because the term refers to the configuration of a double carbon-carbon bond, trans fats are sometimes monounsaturated or polyunsaturated, but never saturated.

Trans fats are not essential fatty acids. The consumption of trans fats increases the risk of coronary heart disease by raising levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol and lowering levels of "good" HDL cholesterol. Health authorities worldwide recommend that consumption of trans fat be reduced to trace amounts.

with the findings of the study on salt consumption, chalk this up as an additional risk to our general state of health and last but not least, our insurability in terms of taking up insurance.