People in Switzerland consume too much salt, according to a national study commissioned by the Federal Health Office.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch and agencies
The study, published on Monday, was carried out as part of the health office’s Salt Strategy 2008-2012, which aims to reduce salt consumption and is being implemented as one aspect of the National Nutrition and Physical Activity Programme 2008-2012.
Lausanne University Hospital asked some 1,500 people about their diets and tested them for hypertension.
The results show that the daily salt intake of the Swiss population is well above the maximum daily level of five grammes per person that is recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).
An average of 9.1g of salt per person per day is consumed in Switzerland, with men getting an average of 10.6g per day compared with the 7.8g that women eat daily.
The study also showed that 25.6 per cent of the individuals tested had high blood pressure. Again, men were more frequently affected (32.3 per cent) than women (19.1 per cent).
The Salt Strategy 2008-2012 aims to gradually reduce salt consumption to less than 8g per person per day by 2012. This is because too much salt intake increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Frequent soft drink consumption “bad for health”
This content was published on
In a study of healthy young men, all participants developed adverse effects within three weeks. Past studies into the health repercussions of sweetened soft drinks looked into high sugar intake, but the Zurich University-led research is the first study to show the effects of low to moderate consumption of fructose, glucose and sucrose drinks. Lead…
This content was published on
Delegates at the Swiss Public Health Conference 2011 at Basel University have been hearing how environmental and lifestyle factors are big contributors to the problem – as is increasing urbanisation. The two-day meeting, entitled “Chronic Diseases – A Major Challenge” and gathering Swiss and international specialists in the field, has been considering the impact of…
This content was published on
The Federal Health Office said on Tuesday that as part of its healthy eating campaign, food giant Nestlé and supermarket chain Coop had agreed to reduce salts or fats in products. Vending machine company Selecta said it would offer healthier choices to children under 15. The goals of the campaign are to encourage companies to…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.