By PREDEEP NAMBIAR
TIGHT REGULATIONS: Ban advertisements of food products with high sodium on television, says CAP
GEORGE TOWN: A RECENT Health Ministry survey on the intake of salt has revealed that Malaysians are consuming nearly double what is required, putting themselves at a higher risk for stroke and heart-related diseases.
The survey revealed that Malaysians consumed 8.7g of salt daily, equivalent to 3,419mg of sodium, which is 1.7 times higher than the limit of 5mg, or 2,000mg of sodium, set by the World Health Organisation.
Consumers Association of Penang president S.M. Mohamed Idris yesterday said this was worrying as the sodium-heavy diet was putting more people at risk of cardiovascular diseases.
"The recommended salt intake per day should be one teaspoon of salt, or 5mg, which is 2,000mg of sodium," he said in conjunction with World Hypertension Day yesterday.
Idris called on the government to make it compulsory for all food manufacturers to cut down on sodium content through the means of regulatory amendments.
"We would also like the government to promulgate laws to reduce the amount of sodium in foods and ensure food manufacturers display the sodium content on all packaging."
He also sought a ban on advertising food products with high sodium on television, especially on programmes viewed by children.
Idris said table salt (sodium chloride) was the major source of sodium in the Malaysian diet, adding that monosodium glutamate (MSG), sodium bicarbonate (leavening agent), sodium nitrate and sodium benzoate, which were equally unhealthy if taken in excess, were also present in many other food.
"In our survey, CAP has found more than 40 sodium-containing additives in processed foods. Most of the processed foods, such as instant noodles, soy sauce, chilli sauce, fried rice seasoning and even some canned sardines, contain high sodium.
"The WHO Codex Alimentarius food standards allow 136 additives in instant noodles. Out of that, 24 are sodium salts. A packet of these noodles have more than 1,000mg of sodium, which is more than half of the allowed intake."
He said the excess salt in one's diet was one of the main reasons why high blood pressure cases among Malaysians had been on a rise for the past decade, with 33 per cent of adults aged 30 and above suffering from hypertension in 1996, and 43 per cent in 2006.
"On an average, 110 Malaysians are dying of cardiovascular-related diseases daily. In fact, it is the principal cause of death in the country, with 16.5 per cent of all deaths recorded by the Ministry of Health hospitals in 2008."
http://www.nst.com.my/nation/general/malaysians-at-risk-because-of-salt-heavy-diet-1.281277
