Salt kills 1.6 million people worldwide. The French still consume too much of it, putting their health at risk, according to official reports.
A diet without dietary salt? Hardly imaginable for most of us. And yet, this food can be dangerous for health when consumed in too high doses. A recent global study found that, if used excessively, salt kills more than 1.6 million people each year.
In a report produced in partnership with the National Institute of Consumption (INC), the National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (ANSES) reported in 2012 on the evolution of the French salt consumption from 2003 to 2011.
Objectives not achieved
In 2003, the National Health Nutrition Program (PNNS) plans to reduce the salt intake of the population by 20% in 5 years. To achieve this, the program implements a gradual reduction in salt in certain foods. But these measures are not sufficient: between 2003 and 2011, the INC and ANSES note a drop which “would be between 4% and 10% depending on whether or not the changes observed are extrapolated to all processed products. This range is therefore less than half of the objectives set by the PNNS.
An excess dangerous for health
The harmful consequences of excess salt on health are manifold. And the addition can be salty: more than 1.6 million people die each year from a cardiovascular accident, caused by too much salt. It also creates a favorable ground for stomach cancer, one of the leading cancers in France, which has 6,500 new cases per year. Finally, too much salt increases the risk of osteoporosis, a bone disease that causes more than 130,000 bills per year.
On average, the French consume 7 grams of salt per day, including table and cooking salt. For excess salt to turn into overzealousness, this consumption should almost be halved, according to the WHO, which recommends not to exceed 5 grams per day.
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