Nigerians who desire a healthier life must strive to consume a minimum amount of salt in their diets as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) to guarantee a drastic reduction in cases of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) such as hypertension and cardiovascular ailments, which have been leading cause of deaths in the country.
They were also cautioned against patronizing commercially processed foods, which they said contain high levels of salt, insisting that besides smoking and use of other tobacco products, intake of high amounts of sugar in sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), consuming high dosage of salt remains a ‘silent killer.’
This was the submission of facilitators and participants at a one-day journalism training on salt reduction organized by the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) in collaboration with the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI), Network for Health Equity and Development (NHED), the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the University of Abuja Cadiovascular Research Unit.
In his presentation titled: Salt Consumption in Nigeria and the Need for Policy Intervention, Technical Advisor of NHED, Dr Jerome Mafeni, explained that Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs) are the leading causes of death globally as an estimated 17.9 million people died from CVDs in 2019, representing 32 percent of all global deaths.
He pointed out that over three-quarters of CVD deaths take place in low and middle-income countries and that high sodium consumption of about 2 grams daily or an equivalent to 5 grams of salt per day contributes to high blood pressure and increases the risk of heart disease and stroke.
According to him, high blood pressure is a major risk of CVDs, especially heart attack and stroke, stressing that the main source of sodium in diets is salt, although it can come from sodium glutamate and that reducing sodium intake significantly reduces blood pressure in adults.
Explaining the global strategies on salt reduction, he said in 2013, the WHA agreed to 9 global voluntary targets for the prevention and control of the NCDs, which includes a 30 percent relative reduction in the intake of salt by 2025.
He further revealed that the Global Action plan for the prevention and control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) from 2013 to 2020 give guidelines and policy options for member countries, WHO and other United Nations (UN) agencies to achieve the targets.
In 2016, the SHAKE technical package was developed and it is aimed at assisting member states with the development, implementation and monitoring of salt reduction strategies.
The acronym SHAKE stands for surveillance (measuring and monitor salt use); Harness industry (promote reformulation of foods and meals to contain less salt); Adopt standards for labeling and marketing (implement standards for effective and accurate labeling and marketing of foods); Knowledge (educate and communicate to empower individuals to eat less salt) and Environment (support settings to promote healthy eating).
Mafeni, who highlighted the current situation in Nigeria, maintained that the estimated salt intake in Nigeria is 5.8grams per day, which is higher than the WHO’s recommended maximum level, stressing that rapid transition from infectious diseases to increasingly NCDs.
“The overall age-standardized prevalence of hypertension in Nigeria is 38.1 percent, while an estimated 100,000 deaths from Cardiovascular Diseases occurred in Nigeria in 2017,” he further stated.
Speaking on Global Trend of Salt and Sodium Consumption, Vanessa Alfa of the University of Abuja Cardiovascular Research Unit, who presented the Nigeria Sodium Study (NASS+ findings on Nigerian sodium and salt consumption patterns and Nigerian perspectives on salt, said the research revealed that Nigerians increased consumption of unhealthy processed foods, particularly those high in sodium, which she said, constituted a major risk factor for CVDs.
According to the WHO), global salt and sodium consumption remains high, with the average intake estimated at about 10 grams per day, significantly exceeding the daily recommended limit of 5 grams.
The excessive intake is a major contributor to the global burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), particularly cardiovascular diseases.
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“An estimated 100,000 (95 percent UI: 74,000 to 134,000) deaths due to cardiovascular diseases occurred in Nigeria in 2017. High blood pressure is the predominant cause of the deaths (58 percent) and the overall CVD burden (54 percent of DALYs) in Nigeria.
“Estimates of average dietary salt intake in Nigeria range from 7-10grams per day, either of which exceeds the WHO’s recommended level of less than 5 grams daily, accounting for 10 percent of CVDrelated deaths,” she stated.
Explaining the background of the NASS+ study, she said to reduce excess dietary sodium consumption, Nigeria’s 2019 National Multi-Sectoral Action Plan (NMSAP) for the prevention and control of NCDs includes policies based on the WHO’s SHAKE package.
“The NASS+ Study aims to evaluate Nigeria’s Sodium Reduction program implementation and scale-up using a type III hybrid, mixed methods study design through repeated stakeholder interviews, population surveys and retail surveys.
“The principal investigators and coordinating activities for the program are located at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital in Abuja, Nigeria, Washington University in St. Louis, and Northwestern University. The NASS+ study was activated on February 18, 2021 in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH), National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), WHO, RTSL, GHAI, Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) and funded by NHLBI.”
Executive Director of CAPPA, Akinbode Oluwafemi, spoke on Media Advocacy for Salt Reduction and Industry Monitoring, CAPPA’s Food Policy Programme Officer for Cardiovascular Health (CHV) and Coordinator of implementation of the Salt Project, Bukola Olukemi Odele, who focused on Overview of Nigeria’s Salt Reduction Campaign.
Others are Media and Communication Officer of CAPPA, Robert Egbe, dwelled on How to Generate Editor-Friendly Salt Reduction Stories and Programme Manager at CAPPA, Abayomi Sarumi, whose presentation centered on Salt Digital Media Advocacy.
They maintained that public health advocates, journalists and other stakeholders in the public health sector owe it a duty to mobilize support for the campaign on salt reduction in diets with a view to creating awareness among their family members and the general public, which elicited commitment from participants to sustain efforts aimed at reducing deaths from NCDS, CVDs and related diseases in Nigeria and beyond.
PHOTO CAPTION FOR SALT STORY:
Participants at the one-day Journalism Training On Salt Reduction organised by the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa in Lagos
