Use salt and foods high in salt sparingly: a food–based dietary guideline for South Africa
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Date
2013Author
Wentzel-Viljoen, E.
Steyn, K.
Ketterer, E.
Charlton, K. E.
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Increased salt intake leads to an increase in blood pressure and decreased sodium intake relative to the usual or increased
intake results in lowered blood pressure in adults, with or without hypertension. Blood pressure is a strong proxy indicator
for the risk of cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease and strokes. Hypertension is estimated to have caused 9%
of all deaths in South Africa in 2000. In 2008, 42% of men and 34% of women aged 35-44 years, and 60% of men and 50%
of women aged 45-54 years, were hypertensive. More than 70% of both men and women older than 65 years of age
were hypertensive in 2008. Multilevel and multisectorial strategies are required to lower salt intake at population level,
including the legislation of food supply, clearer labelling and signposting of food packaging, and improved consumer
education on behavioural change regarding salt usage practices. A comprehensive national strategy that focuses on
salt reduction is needed to reduce national blood pressure levels in the future. Legislating the levels of salt in processed
food is only one part of this national strategy. All health professionals and educators should also provide appropriate
nutritional recommendations that will educate, motivate and enable consumers to change their nutritional behaviour to
reduce salt intake to less than 5 g per day, as recommended. The aim of this review is to revise the current food-based
dietary guideline for salt, the implementation of which would contribute to lowering population salt intake, and blood
pressure and cardiovascular disease, in South Africa
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http://hdl.handle.net/10394/16517http://sajcn.co.za/index.php/SAJCN/article/view/753
http://www.sajcn.co.za/index.php/SAJCN/article/view/831/1084
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- Faculty of Health Sciences [2386]