Sixty percent of the Vietnamese population consume salt over two times as much as WHO’s recommended level, so the country should take action against the abuse of salt to reduce deaths from heart diseases and stroke, the World Health Organization warned Monday. The warning was released yesterday, September 29, the World Heart Day. The WHO’s recommended level is less than 5 g, or one teaspoon, while the average amount of salt intake in Vietnam is from 12-15 g per person aged 25-64 per day, the WHO said. According to preliminary surveys, nearly 60 percent of the country’s population consume twice the WHO’s recommended maximum level. The same situation is seen in other countries, including China and Japan, where the average salt intake is some 10 g per person per day.

Cutting down daily salt intake is crucial as excessive use of salt can lead to hypertension and increase the risk of stroke. The major cause of death in Vietnam is heart disease, which makes up 33 percent of total deaths, WHO said. Meanwhile, a recent national survey reveals that 25 percent of people of 25 years old and older in Vietnam suffer hypertension.Children should eat less salt than adults Decreasing salt intake is one of the most effective measures to decrease the risk of heart disease and improve human health, WHO’s Chief Representative in Vietnam, Jeffrey Kobza, stressed. WHO is supporting Vietnam to implement an action plan to reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including nine goals, of which the fourth goal is to reduce global salt consumption by around 30 percent by 2025. WHO warns that children aged 2-15 should eat less salt than the recommended level for adults. Of the daily salt intake of Vietnamese people, 81 percent come from salt added to food during processing, 11.6 percent is already available in processed food and natural food, according to a study by the National Nutrition Institute. Flavor powder and fish sauce is two main sources of salt in Vietnamese people’s diet, the institute said.

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