Salt consumption in Switzerland is too high
According to health organizations, the salt consumption of the Swiss is far too high. This has an impact on health.
Experts agree that salt consumption in Switzerland is too high and is detrimental to health. Medical societies and health organizations have joined forces as a broad alliance in the "Salt and Health" expert group and developed a Position paper developed. They call for measures to reduce the salt content in the diet to a sensible level.
Salt consumption in the Swiss population is According to a study at an average of 9.1 grams per day per person (1) and thus significantly above the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation of a maximum of 5 grams per day. The Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO) is therefore aiming for a moderate reduction to less than 8 grams per day in the short term, a strategy that is now also supported by medical experts.
Excessive salt is detrimental to health. "As the concentration of salt in the blood increases, so does the amount of fluid in the circulation. This increases blood pressure, which in turn promotes arteriosclerosis in the blood vessels, which is responsible for many cerebral strokes and heart attacks," points out Prof. Michel Burnier, head of the "Salt and Health" specialist group and the Department of Nephrology at Lausanne University Hospital. High salt intake also impairs the effectiveness of antihypertensive drugs in patients with hypertension. Finally, associations have been found between salt consumption and metabolic syndrome (a dangerous combination of risk factors and a precursor to diabetes), the degree of obesity and the incidence of stomach cancer. Studies have shown that larger children and adolescents with high salt diets consume more sweet drinks and tend to be overweight. In addition, they may be affected by high blood pressure just like adults and, once developed, may maintain elevated levels into adulthood. Reduced salt consumption would thus contribute to the prevention of cardiovascular and kidney diseases as well as other health problems.
Ready-made products are the biggest contributors to our salt consumption. The expert group "Salt and Health" therefore advises avoiding them, seasoning more with spices and herbs, and slowly reducing the amount of salt added to food.
But the industry is also called upon to gradually reduce the salt content in its product formulations and improve salt content labeling.
