A study that has evaluated a massive amount of data from 187 countries has shown that high sodium intake indirectly leads to a great number of deaths yearly all across the globe. Overconsumption of sodium ultimately leads to cardiovascular diseases which eventually cause death.
We are in the age of high mortality rates to which non-communicable diseases have contributed considerably. Among these feature cardiovascular diseases – once the heart is adversely affected, it is just a matter of time for all else to feel the negative consequences. Heart diseases have a number of causes: some are environmental in nature including sedentariness, lifestyles and eating habits, while others span on the genetic level, with yet others being the indirect outcomes of other diseases. Sometimes, a combination of these factors exert increased pressure on the health of the heart. The environment, in particular, has a profound effect on the health of the heart. We are what we eat, as the saying goes. Whatever food we input in our bodies gets incorporated into our cells, and hence in our very make-up. Our food intake is one of the primary factors that determines the quality of our health. This is the reason why nutritional experts have hailed healthy eating as a cure. If we consume junk food, or too much of an otherwise harmless food, the ill effects are going to reflect on our health. A new study has recently shown that the overconsumption of sodium is behind a great chunk of deaths resulting from heart disease. It has been estimated that approximately 1.6 million deaths as a consequence of cardiovascular diseases have been associated with high sodium intake.
The colossal amount of data gathered by the researchers of the study span over 187 countries. It seems like people all over the world are inclined to including in their diet amounts of sodium which are more than enough. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), an individual should consume only 2.0 g of sodium per day. The world population seems not to adhere to this recommendation.
The study results revealed that the average consumption of sodium per day by populations across the globe is 3.95 g, almost twice the maximum amount. Overconsumption of sodium has been demonstrated to be detrimental to health: it increases blood pressure, thereby leading to heart disease. So, high sodium intake eventually leads to cardiovascular diseases – the deaths resulting from this amounts to around 1.65 million annually.
The world population is in great need of understanding the implications of eating too much of otherwise harmless food items. Everything is to be taken in moderate amounts – not too little, and not too much, but just enough to reap the desired fruits. Maybe, now is the time for us to wake up and make serious changes in our lifestyles?