AIM Salt reduction efforts usually have a strong focus on consumer education. Understanding the association between salt consumption levels and knowledge, attitudes and behaviours towards salt should provide insight into the likely effectiveness of education-based programs. METHODS A single 24-hour urine sample and a questionnaire describing knowledge, attitudes and behaviours was obtained fr...

This paper elucidates the role of processed foods and beverages in the 'nutrition transition' underway in Asia. Processed foods tend to be high in nutrients associated with obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases: refined sugar, salt, saturated and trans-fats. This paper identifies the most significant 'product vectors' for these nutrients and describes changes in their consumption i...

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], ...

Salt is one of the most important determinants of high blood pressure and increased cardiovascular risk worldwide. However, a high salt intake has other adverse effects beyond those involving the cardiovascular system, so that there is renewed interest in the relationships between high salt intake and other diseases.

Psychological stress is a common feature of modern day societies, and contributes to the global burden of disease. It was proposed by Henry over 20 years ago that the salt intake of a society reflects the level of stress, and that stress, through its effect on increasing salt intake, is an important factor in the development of hypertension. This review evaluates the evidence from animal and hu...

It has long been viewed that the maintenance of osmotic balance in response to high salt intake is a passive process that is mediated largely by increased water consumption to balance the salt load. Two studies in this issue of the JCI challenge this notion and demonstrate that osmotic balance in response to high salt intake involves a complex regulatory process that is influenced by hormone fl...

In China, few people are aware of the amount and source of their salt intake. We conducted a survey to investigate the consumption and sources of dietary salt using the "one-week salt estimation method" by weighing cooking salt and major salt-containing food, and estimating salt intake during dining out based on established evidence. Nine hundred and three families (1981 adults and 971 children...