Health Minister Warns Against Excess Salt Consumption.

Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Ali Pate has warned Nigerians against excess salt and sodium intake, stressing that, it could cause hypertension and other heart diseases.

Pate who disclosed this in Abuja at a news conference to commemorate the 2024 Salt Awareness Week, which has the theme “It’s Time to Shine the Spotlight on Salt and represented by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Daju Kachollom, Pate said, the Federal Government would increase public awareness of the dangers of excess salt intake.

The minister also said, not less than 10 per cent of cardiovascular disease deaths are attributed to the burden of excess sodium consumption in Nigeria, including varying estimates of the average daily intake of dietary sodium among Nigerian adults, ranging from 2.3 to 10 grams per day, while the intake of dietary salt ranged from 5.8 to 25 grams per day.

Pate said, that this figure was significantly higher than the World Health Organization’s recommendations for a daily intake of 2 grams of sodium and 5 grams of salt, adding that, reducing sodium intake was crucial for controlling blood pressure, which would help prevent hypertension and reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

According to him, salt is a hidden adversary in people’s diets, and it contributes to the burden of cardiovascular diseases that afflict many.