Global Nutrition official during the release of their annual report in 2016. (Photo/Shawn Sebastian)
There has been a made-belief around that has it that high salt intake is one of the major causes of hypertension in Kenya.
However, according to a report by Global Nutrition, that is not gospel truth as Kenya has been found to be among the countries where salt consumption is under the required amounts compared to other countries.
Many Kenyans have always been cautioned of the high salt intake where it is said that it predisposes people to the risk of hypertension disease.
“The world consumes too much salt. Intake varies by region but no region had intakes within the World Health Organisation (WHO)-recommended limits of two grams of sodium a day,” the report said.
“An intake of greater than two grams a day of sodium (or one teaspoon of table salt) contributes to raising blood pressure, and is the maximum daily intake recommended by the WHO,” the report read.
At least 5000 lives, according to the 2017 Economic Survey by Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, are lost every year as a result of heart-related diseases. The same report also indicates that one in every five Kenyans is affected by hypertension