Cardiovascular disease accounts for 40% of all fatalities in Europe, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), which urges Europeans to reduce their salt intake. That translates to 10,000 deaths every day, or four million per year.
“Implementing targeted policies to reduce salt intake by 25 percent could save an estimated 900,000 lives from cardiovascular diseases by 2030,” Hans Kluge, director of the World Health Organization’s Europe branch, said in a statement. In Europe, one in every three persons aged 30 to 79 has hypertension, which is commonly caused by excessive salt consumption.
Fifty-one of the 53 nations in the WHO’s European region had an average daily salt intake more than the WHO’s recommended limit of five grammes, or one teaspoon, owing primarily to processed foods and snacks.
“High salt intake raises blood pressure, which is a leading risk factor for this sickness such as heart attacks and strokes,” the World Health Organisation stated. According to the report, Europe has the greatest global blood pressure prevalence.
Cardiovascular disease
According to a data from WHO Europe, men in the region are about 2.5 times more likely than women to die from it. There is also a geographic divide: the risk of dying young (30-69 years) from this disease is roughly five times higher in eastern Europe and central Asia than in Western Europe.
Source: vanguardngr.com
