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Intake drops, but UK can't shake salt habit

23 March 2007

What do we know about salt and high blood pressure?

One in three adults in the UK have high blood pressure.
High blood pressure has no symptoms - the only way to know if you have it is to get it checked.
Sodium levels in food are not the same as salt levels. Multiply the sodium levels of a food by 2.5 to get the equivalent weight of salt.
Three quarters of the salt we eat is already in the food we buy.
Even if you don't have high blood pressure, cutting down on salt will reduce it and lower your chances of developing heart disease or stroke.
The government recommends you eat no more than 6g of salt a day.

Salt consumption has fallen in the UK but it is still 50 percent above recommended levels, a recent survey indicates.

The study, which examined salt intake in 1287 people in 2005/2006 and compared it to levels from 2001, shows that the average daily salt consumption has dropped from 9.5 to 9g per person in the UK.

This is still 3g above the government's national 2010 target of 6g a day per person.

"[The] results illustrate the progress that is being made in reducing the nation's daily salt intake," explains Dame Deirdre Hutton, chair of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) who carried out the research.

"However there is still some way to go before we reach the 6g target and we all now need to build on this to ensure that the downward trend continues," she adds.

On average, men's salt intake fell from 11g to 10.2g a day, while women's salt consumption dropped from 8.1 to 7.6g a day.

In a separate tracking survey, the FSA examined people's attitudes to salt intake. While 40 percent of respondents claimed they were reducing their salt intake, 90 percent were simply adding less salt to their food; only 15 percent were checking food labels.

With three quarters of the salt we eat already in the food we buy, the FSA is urging consumers to check food labels and to choose the lower salt option.

Betty Mcbride, Director of Policy and Communications at the British Heart Foundation (BHF) said:

"There is too much salt lurking in processed food. You can't always taste it, and sometimes it is in the most unlikely products."

She adds: "By simply checking the labels and switching to a lower salt option, you'll be doing your heart a favour."

Eating too much salt is a major contributor to high blood pressure, or hypertension. Hypertension, which has no symptoms, increases the risk of developing a stroke or heart disease threefold.

Examples of foods with high salt levels include baked beans, breakfast cereals, bread and bread products, crisps, bacon, cheese, and ready meals.

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Q and A section

What is high blood pressure?

Blood pressure is the force that your blood exerts onto the inside walls of your arteries. High blood pressure, or hypertension, occurs when the pressure it creates is too high.

Why does salt raise blood pressure?

Salt is the common name for sodium chloride. The sodium part causes your body to retain more water. More water in your circulation increases the pressure on your arteries, leading to higher blood pressure.

Why is high blood pressure so bad for you?

Lots of reasons. High blood pressure puts more strain on your blood vessels, making them more likely to become hardened and clogged up with fatty deposits. This increases the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and heart attack.

Hypertension also puts more strain on the heart itself, as it has to pump blood around the body at a higher pressure. This makes heart failure more likely.

If left untreated high blood pressure can also lead to kidney failure and damage your eyesight.

How can I avoid or reduce high blood pressure?

Cut your salt intake, exercise more, avoid being overweight, and don't drink too much alcohol. These lifestyle tips will also help cut your risk of heart disease and stroke and help you live longer.