Study: The poor eat more salt
Last reviewed: 16.10.2021
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
Low-income people in the UK consume more salt than the wealthy, regardless of where they live, according to scientists from the Medical College at the University of Warwick.
The study was conducted with the support of the World Health Organization, and its results were published in the journal "BMJ Open journal".
Experts analyzed the dietary habits of the population depending on the geographical location, as well as the level of education and professional employment of the population, as indicators of the socio-economic situation and the main determinants of health.
Scientists used data from the National Nutrition Research, a survey of a nationally representative sample of 2,105 men and women aged 19-64 living in the UK.
The level of salt intake was assessed by two independent methods: a seven-day diet, the menu of which volunteers recorded, and also using the so-called "gold standard" - a 24-hour urine collection for the quantitative determination of sodium (direct salt consumption marker).
Researchers for the first time provided evidence that the consumption of salt depends on the education of a person and his profession. Less educated people who perform low-skilled jobs, eat more salt than the better-off segments of the population. In particular, in the UK, in the less industrially developed Scotland, the level of salt consumption is higher than in England and Wales.
Professor Francesco Capuchcho, lead author of the study, says: "These results are very important, because they partially explain the cause of high morbidity and mortality among people of low socioeconomic status. In particular, we mean high blood pressure ( arterial hypertension ), stroke, myocardial infarction and renal failure.
Experts say that in most cases, the usual intake of salt by adults exceeds ten grams per day, despite the fact that the World Health Organization does not recommend exceeding the rate of salt intake, which is equal to five grams.
According to experts, the program to reduce salt intake is a cost-effective way to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular diseases on a national and global scale.
Professor Capuccio notes that in the period from 2004 to 2011, the amount of salt consumed among the population decreased from an average of 9.5 to 8.1 grams thanks to an effective policy that included outreach activities.
"Despite the results, it's too early to rejoice, because most people do not understand the consequences and underestimate the risk associated with high salt intake," the researchers say. "Behavioral approaches to healthy eating are unlikely to lead to global changes that could stop the epidemic of cardiovascular disease, but we need to go and do not stop there."
[1]