Dietitian Urges 4-5 Gram Daily Salt Limit as Hidden Sodium Drives 1.7 Million Deaths
Updated
Updated · The Daily Star · Jun 15
Dietitian Urges 4-5 Gram Daily Salt Limit as Hidden Sodium Drives 1.7 Million Deaths
1 articles · Updated · The Daily Star · Jun 15
Summary
Healthy adults should keep salt intake to 4-5 grams a day, while people with hypertension should cut it further to 2-2.5 grams, dietitian Chowdhury Tasneem Hasin said.
Nearly 1.7 million deaths a year are linked to high salt intake globally, and Hasin said much of the risk comes from hidden sodium in processed snacks, biscuits and bread rather than table salt alone.
Adults aged 25-35 are increasingly exposed because they consume more street food and packaged snacks, a shift she linked to rising uncontrolled hypertension in younger people.
High sodium also strains the kidneys and lowers potassium levels, she said, causing often-silent damage that may not appear until kidney function is already impaired.
Hasin urged consumers to read labels despite weak local standards and to favor homemade foods and flavoring alternatives such as lemon, yoghurt, vinegar or tamarind.