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Salt intake in China is confirmed to be among the highest in the world, with adults over the past four decades consistently consuming on average above 10 grams of salt a day, more than twice the recommended limit, according to new research led by Queen Mary University of London.

The research, which polled 900 children and 26,000 adults, found that Chinese people have been taking in more than enough salt in the past 40 years.

They found that Chinese children aged 3 to 6 years old are eating five grams of salt every day — the maximum amount of salt recommended by the World Health Organization for adults.

Traditionally, people in the South have a sweet tooth, while those living in the North prefer salty food. While nowadays, northern people still take in more salt than southerners, the gap is narrowing.

Statistics revealed that northerners take in 11.2 grams of salt on a daily basis, less than the 12.8 grams recorded in the 1980s.

The report attributes the decline to both governmental efforts in salt awareness education and the lessened reliance on pickled food — owing to a greater year-round availability of fresh vegetables.

But this trend of decrease was not seen in southern China, which has vastly increased from 8.8 grams a day in the 1980s to 10.2 grams a day in the 2010s, mainly resulting from the growing consumption of processed foods and out-of-home meals.

In European and North American countries, sodium intake is mainly from salt added in manufactured foods (about 75 percent of total intake), whereas sodium intake in China is mainly from soy or salt added in home cooking (about 80 percent of total intake).

Discretionary salt use still constitutes the vast majority of the sodium consumed in China.

Excess salt intake raises blood pressure, a major cause of strokes and heart disease, which accounts for approximately 40 percent of deaths in the Chinese population.

Salty foods tend to also be high in total fat and calories — leading to excess total calorie intake, overweight and obesity.

Previous research reveals that ample potassium intake will offset the harms caused by high sodium intake.

However, potassium intake has been consistently low throughout China for the past 40 years, with people in all age groups consuming less than half the recommended minimum intakes.

Words to Learn 相关词汇

【意识】yìshí

awareness knowledge or perception of a situation or fact

【自行决定的】zìxíng juédìng de

discretionary left to individual choice or judgment

英国伦敦玛丽女王大学新发布的一项研究结果显示，过去40年间，中国成年人平均每天食盐摄入量在10克以上，超过世界卫生组织推荐量的两倍。

他们的研究涉及900名儿童和2.6万名成年人，结果发现中国居民过去40年中食盐摄入量一直居高不下。他们发现，中国3到6岁的儿童每天摄入5克盐，这是世界卫生组织推荐成人摄入量的最大值。

中国历来有”南甜北咸”的口味偏好。现在虽然北方普遍吃得还是比南方咸，但南北食盐摄入量的差距缩小了。

研究显示，中国北方居民食盐摄入量达到平均每天11.2克，较上世纪80年代时的12.8克有所减少。

研究认为原因包括中国政府在提高全民减盐认识方面做了很多努力，也包括百姓因一年四季蔬菜丰富而对腌菜等食品的依赖逐渐减少。

不过这种下降趋势并未出现在南方。南方居民食盐摄入量从上世纪80年代的平均每天8.8克，增加到如今的10.2克。

研究人员认为原因可能是政府的减盐努力被一些因素抵消，如人们更多摄入加工食品、更多在外就餐。

在欧洲和北美，膳食钠摄入大部分来自加工食品的盐（占总摄入量的75%），而在中国，膳食钠的摄入则多来自烹饪过程中的酱油和食盐（占总摄入量的80%）。

做菜时随意放盐仍然构成了中国绝大部分膳食钠的摄入。

过量摄入食盐会导致血压升高，这是引发中风和心脏病的主要原因之一。中国人口的死亡原因中，约40%都来自这两种疾病。

同时，高盐食物往往含有高脂肪和高热量，导致总卡路里摄入过多，引发超重和肥胖问题。

相关研究也表明，充足膳食钾的摄入有助于缓解高钠摄入的危害。

但在过去40年，中国各地的钾摄入量一直很低，所有年龄段的人的钾摄入量都不到推荐最低摄入量的一半。

(Chinadaily.com.cn)