Salt Awareness Week 2022

The World Salt Awareness Week aims to encourage the implementation of evidence-based interventions to reduce salt consumption in the population to protect cardiovascular health.

7 Severe Health Consequences Due To Excessive Salt Consumption:

High Blood Pressure:

The normal blood pressure (BP) of the human body is between 90/60 – 120/80 mm Hg. In case of constant surplus salt intake, the pressure between the arteries becomes higher i.e. 140/90 mm Hg or more, triggering high BP, with readings of 180/120 mm Hg considered to be sever hypertension. This invariably leads to a decline in cardiac functions and heart health.

Stroke:

Stroke is a grave health issue wherein blood supply to the brain is ceased, giving rise to a lack of oxygen and nutrients to the brain cells. This leads to deterioration and death of healthy brain cells and stroke can be fatal if not treated immediately by a doctor.

Also Read: Stroke/Cerebrovascular Accident: Causes, Symptoms And Treatment

Heart Disease:

Since high salt intake triggers high blood pressure, this strains the cardiac muscles and poses an increased risk of heart disease. Hence, the arteries of the heart become narrower, clogged, and present in the form of long-term illnesses like cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Diabetes:

Diabetes is triggered by high blood sugar levels due to insulin hormone not being synthesized adequately by the pancreas or inability of insulin to process glucose and regulate its levels in the bloodstream. Since excess salt consumption prompts raised blood pressure, it hampers key bodily mechanisms of glucose metabolism and insulin activity, thus significantly increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Kidney Disease:

As high salt intake leads to sodium retention in the body, this destroys the healthy renal cells leading to kidney disease. Chronic kidney disease poses severe health risks and can even lead to kidney failure, which subsequently can only be resolved by a kidney transplant.

Obesity:

Although obesity is primarily considered a lifestyle disorder characterized by surplus body mass index and unhealthy weight gain, taking in too much salt regularly also makes a person predisposed to becoming overweight or obese.

Osteoporosis:

Since massive salt intake causes high blood pressure with undue levels of sodium retention in blood, this leads to loss of calcium from the bones at a much more rapid rate than normal. Therefore, it induces weakening of bones and decline in bone density, giving rise to the debilitating condition of osteoporosis.