White gold salt favors folk diseases

White gold: millions killed due to excessive salt consumption

09/07/2014

Old and new scientific studies conclude that millions of people worldwide die because they eat too much salt. High salt intake is considered a risk factor for various common diseases. The recommended daily maximum dose of salt is significantly exceeded in Germany.

Millions killed due to high salt intake
For centuries, salt was considered an expensive and sought-after asset and was praised as white gold. But this has become deadly poison that is available everywhere and affordable for everyone, like the „Focus“ in his current issue writes. The news magazine reports that 1.65 million people die every year around the world from over-salt. Mentioned are heart attack, stroke and high blood pressure. It refers to "the findings of three international research groups that published their studies in August".

Recommended maximum salt dose is exceeded almost everywhere
They found alarming results from the study of 102,000 people from many countries around the world. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 99.2 percent of all people exceed the 5-gram daily maximum saline ration recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). With around six grams of daily salt intake in women and over eight grams in men, Germany is indeed in the international midfield, but just well above the given amount.

Men eat more salt than women
Even though the salt ration varies greatly in the EU countries, it is above that of the women in virtually all countries. To this end, Prof. Dr. Dr. med. Lutz Graeve from the University of Hohenheim explained a month ago: „On average, an adult man in Germany consumes 8.4 grams of salt, an adult woman on average 6.1 grams.“ With the SALUX project, the European Union aims to help citizens feed better.

Cause of hunger for salt on the trail
According to the information in the new „Focus“ Tips given by experts, what to pay attention to the food, which processed foods are particularly lavishly flavored, why organic salt is not organic and how to come with little salt full of flavor in the food. According to the review, scientists are tracking the cause of hunger for spice, discovering that salt in the brain turns off and on the same genes as drugs. With biochemical experiments, they therefore decode the damage that they cause in the body.

Blood volume and blood pressure are increased
Doctors such as the high blood pressure specialist Peter Trenkwalder from the Klinikum Starnberg, see such consequences. „Salt binds the water in the body“, so the physician opposite the magazine. „This increases the blood volume and ultimately the blood pressure.“ Young, healthy people could often handle this well over years, but in the long run this would be dangerous. „On the one hand, the heart has to pump more, on the other hand, the load damages organs and vessels, which are designed only for moderate pressure.“ About one in ten deaths from cardiovascular diseases go back to too much salt.

Tax on unhealthy foods
Knowing that certain foods can help shorten our lifetime is not new. But appeals to the population to live healthier lives have failed again and again in the past. Experts therefore regularly demand taxes on unhealthy foods. In the form of sugar-fat taxes, this has already been put into practice in various countries. (Ad)