Salt Consumption
Salt consumption was originally introduced into human life to preserve food. In the ancient Romans, the salary paid to soldiers was referred to as salt money (salary), while today this expression has become the equivalent of a salary in English. In Paleolithic times, human consumption of salt was around 1-2 grams/day, while in the modern era, this rate has increased to 10-15 grams/day.
Salt consumption is a very important point in health. It is closely related to cardiovascular diseases, both through its effects on blood pressure and its effects independent of blood pressure.
Salt consumption in our country is at least 2.5-3 times higher than the 6 grams/day recommended by the World Health Organization. Studies have shown that Turkish society consumes 14-18 grams/day of salt. So what is the main source of this salt in Turkish society? Again, sub-analyses during the periods when these studies were conducted showed the following: Turkish society takes about half of the salt from food with bread due to intensive bread consumption. Apart from this, the salt added to the pot during cooking and the consumption of cheese and olives, especially at breakfast, constitute a significant portion of the salt source. Since dietary habits differ between countries, this is not the case in the United States, for example. Salt plays an important role in the development and progression of heart failure, coronary artery disease, stroke and chronic kidney disease.
For all these reasons, we need to control our eating habits as well as the salt content of the foods we buy from the markets and keep our salt consumption at the level of 6 grams/day recommended by the World Health Organization.
HC International Clinic
Prof. Dr. Bülent ALTUN
