Moldovans make abuse of salt

Chisinau, 13 November /MOLDPRES/ - Six of ten deaths registered in Moldova are caused by cardiovascular diseases, triggered, for their part, by an excessive consumption of salt – double against recommendations. This is data contained in a national study on the consumption of salt in food.  

According to the study, the issue of excessive consumption of salt is topical, to a great extent, for the adult population, preponderantly from rural settlements; yet, it becomes alarming for children too. “Obesity, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and other diseases specific for young people become more and more frequent, most often because of the consumption of hidden salt, contained usually in fast-food products,” the study reads.      

At the same time, investigations showed that the biggest quantity of salt consumed by Moldova’s residents comes from the uncontrolled eating of bread, processed meat, salami and sausages, pressed cheese, etc.   

„It is easier to prevent a disease than to treat it or the goal of this study is to help adopt the strategies needed to prevent. It is regrettable that practically each second death in Moldova might have at the basis a usual food product from the kitchen, just as it can lead young people to disability, when they can work and live actively. We will use the data of this study to assess the health policy adopted in the sector of nourishment and non-communicable diseases, as well as of tendencies in terms of the population’s health condition,” Health, Labour and Social Protection Minister Silvia Radu said.    

In this context, the official noted Moldova’s commitments following the adhesion to the two voluntary targets concerning the non-communicable diseases, agreed upon at the world level, and which are to be fulfilled till 2025. Also, Radu named more decisions which, besides a string of measures, have the concrete goal to reduce the consumption of salt to less than eight grams per day till 2020.   

For her part, the head of the parliament’s commission for social protection, health and family, Valentina Buliga, stressed that the data of this study would also be registered by lawmakers, as “the people’s health is priority and a country can be healthy only if people are aware of the risks.”   

The study on the consumption of salt in food in Moldova was carried out by the National Public Health Centre, with the support of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.   

According to WHO, the reduction of the consumption of salt decreases the risk of hypertension and leads to the avoidance of thousands of deaths of cerebral vascular accident, heart and kidney diseases. Non-communicable diseases represent the main cause of the early death in Moldova; the cardiovascular and kidney diseases hit about 40 per cent of the country’s adult population and the high blood pressure is one of the principal risk factors for these diseases.  

(Reporter L. Grubii, editor A. Raileanu)