scientists at griffith university in australia and university of oxford in the uk have named cutting salt as the best way to prevent high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. population of developing countries, including african. this is reported in an article published in the british medical journal open.
according to the authors of the scientific work, countries with middle and low incomes suffer large economic losses from the epidemic scale of non-communicable diseases, with the greatest burden falling on disorders of the heart and blood vessels. using cameroon as an example, researchers assessed the public health impact of salt-reduction strategies such as media campaigns, school education programs, and a shift to low-sodium salt substitutes.
about one in three cameroonian adults suffer from high blood pressure, and excessive salt intake is a major factor. it turned out that all three strategies in general are able to prevent from 10 to 80 thousand deaths from heart disorders and strokes.
for high-income countries like australia, the strategy to reduce salt consumption should be to modernize the food industry, which involves adding excess salt to processed foods.
