(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) May 17 is world hypertension day
browsing through the ready-to-eat food section in a supermarket is an exciting experience. from snacks to dinner to a post-dinner munch your dining table can be pretty much filled with a variety of dishes in a jiffy. doctors however warn that the high sodium content of processed food can push you towards hypertension early on.
according to a study by the george institute for global health india a public health ngo 73 per cent of the 7124 food products they sampled were found to have not displayed their salt or sodium content in their labels.
although display of salt content is not mandatory under india’s food packaging rules experts nevertheless feel that this information can help consumers keep a tab on their salt consumption through this medium.
“excess salt intake can lead to high blood pressure coupled with lack of exercise obesity stress and tension” s. chatterjee senior consultant internal medicine at the apollo hospital here told ians.
although someone not pre-disposed to hypertension - meaning no family history of this - is relatively safer it is nevertheless becoming a “growing problem” in india because more and more people are falling victim to it thanks to changing lifestyles.
“packaged food processed food and ready-to-eat meals all have high salt content. they are also high in cholesterol and oil and regular consumption leads to weight gain and obesity and in turn hypertension” chatterjee said. hypertension is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases kidney ailments and strokes.
because of changes in lifestyle - late working hours high stress levels lack of exercise and increase in consumption of junk or processed food - the age-profile of people affected by hypertension has also fallen.
“earlier it was the 50 or 50 plus age-group that used to come with such problems now the age-profile has fallen to 30-34. even adolescents are at risk because childhood obesity is becoming common” commented k.k. saxena a cardiologist at apollo hospital.
agreed manoj kumar cardiologist at the max super speciality hospital here adding that every third or fourth person in india is hypertensive.
“nowadays i get patients as young as 25 who are hypertensive. these are mostly people working in high-stress jobs like call centres where sleep is often compromised with and there is access to packaged food most of the time” manoj kumar told ians.
“it’s also pertinent to mention here that these lifestyle changes also lead to obesity and type 2 diabetes” he added.
experts estimate the number of patients in india with high blood pressure will rise from 140 million in 2008 to 215 million by 2030 along with an increased risk of heart attacks strokes kidney ailments and other diseases.
according to who the recommended salt intake per day is five grams. while regular food may be prepared with just the right amount of salt other food items like bakery products pickles chutneys and sauces papad non-alcoholic beverages and canned food often contribute in the “extra” consumption. raw salt over salads and fruits doctors say should be taken with caution or avoided altogether.
“with the change in trends it is advisable for anyone above the age of 30 to go for regular blood pressure screening. there are no symptoms and therefore if such a condition is detected during screening the cause can be detected and mended before it is too late” manoj kumar said.
“also early detection means lifestyle changes can be made to treat the disease and this is the cheapest way to do so. hypertension is a chronic illness and drug treatment is a lifelong process. just 50 per cent hypertensive people are aware of their illness and therefore early detection is an absolute must” he added.
who has recommended a global target of reducing premature mortality caused by non-communicable diseases by 25 per cent by 2020 by cutting salt intake by 30 per cent .
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