Salt Reduction as a Population-Base Preventive Measure

Part 3: Advantages of the Approach – Critical Consideration of Possible Adverse Effects

Leonie Knorpp, Anja Kroke, Fulda

Population-wide reduction in salt intake may be achieved by reducing the salt content of processed foods and this is an effective and safe measure for the prevention of suboptimal blood pressure and hypertension.

Compared to a selective risk strategy, the population strategy has the advantage of minimising the risk exposure of the total population and can help to decrease cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. This is supported by the experiences of population wide salt reduction in Finland. According to current evidence, a moderate reduction of salt intake to 3–6 g/day induces no negative effects. A reduction of this sort is only possible with the support of food producers, who must increase the availability of food with reduced salt levels.

Keywords: Hypertension, cooking salt, prevention, salt content, cardiovascular diseases

Sie finden den Artikel in deutscher Sprache in Ernährungs Umschau 08/10 ab Seite 410.