Paper of the Month: Disparity in salt reduction initiatives

  A new review published in Public Health Nutrition links salt intake reduction policies across EU member states to the socio-economic status of those countries and their citizens.   The study found that countries with no national salt reduction initiatives had lower levels of inequality-adjusted human development. A lack of coordinated efforts to address this disparity could lead to widening social and health inequalities.   Evidence from low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) and across the EU member states has confirmed that the quality of food intake is affected by socio-economic variables. Studies have shown that members of higher socio-economic groups typically consume more of the recommended food groups (e.g. vegetables and fruit) than lower socio-economic groups. A 2000–01 National Dietary and Nutrition Survey in Britain also revealed salt intake was higher in low socio-economic groups.   It has been proposed that, as a result of these patterns of dietary inequality, higher salt intakes among the lower socio-economic groups lead to raised blood pressure levels and risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Poor fruit and vegetable consumption in this same population reduces potassium intake, another factor linked to high blood pressure. Inequalities in nutritional and economic status like these translate ultimately into inequalities in health.   In 2003, the World Health Organisation (WHO), in conjunction with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), set a worl...
Source: The Nutrition Society - Category: Nutrition Authors: Source Type: news