Salt Consumption: Reflections on Public Health

The ancestors of humans ate a diet that contained less than 0.5 g of salt per day (equivalent to 0.2 g sodium/day) during million years of evolution. The human body is therefore genetically programed to this amount of salt [1]. Currently, mean daily salt intake levels are 7-13 g, varying by region and population group [2]. Studies have also reported higher rates in several Asian countries [3], as well as in Turkey [4]. However, the human body cannot evolve quickly enough to adapt to this change [1]. As a result, nowadays, a high-salt diet may lead to many non-communicable diseases, including cardiovascular disease, hypertension, stroke, stomach cancer, kidney disease, asthma and osteoporosis. As reported by the World Health Organization (WHO), non-communicable diseases are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally [5,6]. Additionally, high salt intake has been linked to obesity due to consumption of calorie containing beverages caused by thirst [7].