A new report from the World Health Organization says the world is not on track to reduce sodium intake by 30% by 2025.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 90% of the sodium Americans consume is in the form of salt.
Health officials in the U.S. recommend that people consume less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium each day.
Consuming increased levels of sodium has been linked to heart disease, stroke and premature death.
“Unhealthy diets are a leading cause of death and disease globally, and excessive sodium intake is one of the main culprits,” said WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
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The WHO report says many countries have not adopted policies about sodium intake.
"WHO calls on all countries to implement the ‘Best Buys’ for sodium reduction, and on manufacturers to implement the WHO benchmarks for sodium content in food," Ghebreyesus said.
In its report, WHO created a scorecard that monitors a country's progress in making national commitments to reduce sodium intake.
The U.S. was recognized for having mandatory measures adopted for sodium reduction. However, WHO recommends that countries have multiple mandatory measures for sodium reduction. Only 5% of countries met that standard, including Chile, Brazil and Mexico.
“This important report demonstrates that countries must work urgently to implement ambitious, mandatory, government-led sodium reduction policies to meet the global target of reducing salt consumption by 2025,” said Dr. Tom Frieden, president and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives, a not-for-profit organization working with countries to prevent 100 million deaths from cardiovascular disease over 30 years.
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