Yes, the commonly used salt at your home can also kill! Whether you believe it or not but a recent study has proved that excess of Sodium Chloride (NaCl) aka the common salt is not only harmful but can also prove fatal for humans.
A study conducted by World Health Organization (WHO) claims that the daily maximum intake of salt of a person should not be more than 5 grams a day however; according to the Indian office of WHO, the average daily consumption of salt per person in India is 9-12 grams per day which is alarmingly high.
Especially those who are fond of Pav-Bhajis, Dosas and Chhole Bhature are at greater risk as these hold a very large amount of salt (3.54 gm, 4.51 gm and 3.91 gm respectively).
The report also says that high consumption of salt on regular basis causes chronic hypertension and increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases and strokes. The data available suggests that excess of salt intake results in almost 2.5 million deaths every year in India which is roughly 26 percent of all deaths by disease in the country.
Excessive intake of sodium can result in diseases like obesity, stomach cancer, osteoporosis, kidney stones and increased severity of asthma symptoms.
A 2014 study of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) found that the mean salt consumption of urban lot in India is higher than their rural counterparts. This is due to the high junk food consumption in cities which even contains sodium in hidden forms. The study has also concluded that hypertension found maximum in urban areas is also the outcome of the higher salt intake only. Order wise, the states and UTs which are topping the charts of the highest salt consumers are – Chandigarh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Jharkhand followed by the rest.
Experts say that canned, preserved and junk foods contain a very large amount of sodium in order to induce craving. Hence, these need to be controlled the most.
It is recommended that one should moderate the salt intake over a period of time – a habit which takes maximum six months to get used to.
