Salt impacting Chinese blood pressure in Beijing

Beijingers' appetite for salt has come under fire by health officials who say too many salty dishes have given Beijingers the highest blood pressure in China. The latest study by the Beijing municipal health bureau on residents' nutrition and health found high blood pressure among city residents aged above 15 was about 25 percent, ranking the highest in the country.

And health experts blame high-sodium stacked foods, such as the soy paste used in Peking duck and salt-crusted kebabs. The report was released yesterday on the country's 12th High Blood Pressure Day. According to the study, Beijingers have a low health awareness with more than half not knowing they suffered from high blood pressure.

The report said high salt intake was the main reason led to high blood pressure and other related diseases. The report said 18.8 per cent of Chinese had high-blood pressure with the daily salt intake per person averaging 12 g, about double the 6 g standard recommended by WHO. In China's rural areas the average daily intake was 12.4 g and 10.9 g in urban areas.

"In a healthy diet, the salt intake for an adult should be no more than 6g a day, but most of people eat much more than this," said cardiovascular specialist Xu Yawei who is also the vice-director of the China Elder Health Care Association. "One of the quickest ways to lower people's blood pressure is to eat less salt, but it is a road to pain food without salt can taste bland."

In response, Beijing health bureau and the city's center of disease control jointly launched a citywide healthy diet campaign to lower blood pressure by eating less salt. Professional nutritionists will be sent to local communities to give public health education talks and help improve people's daily diets. Each family can receive a 2 g salt-limiting scoop that helps them control the level of salt using while cooking.

Meanwhile, the city will establish a community health service network that encourage residents especially those young and middle-aged people to receive free blood pressure check and understand their own health. Besides, many foods people eat each day are high-sodium prepared but often ignored. About 80 percent of the salt we eat is hiding in the processed foods like biscuits, cup noodles and bread, according to health departments.

"The salt we add while cooking or at the table only accounts up a very small part," said nutritionist Susan Chen, "So it is good to eat low-salt foods and stop using salt when cooking or at the table."

Source: www.chinadaily.com