DHAKA: Almost 1.65 million people across the world die due to heart problems brought on by excess intake of salt, said a research analyzing populations from 187 countries.

The paper, published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) on Thursday, found that the average consumption of salt across the globe was 3.95gm per day, nearly double the 2gm recommended by the World Health Organization, reports time of India.

A separate Indian study released a few days ago — the INDIAB study of the Indian Council for Medical Research — found that the mean salt intake in urban India was 7.6gm per day, much higher than the global mean.

"It is well known that salt or sodium is a risk factor for heart disease and stroke," said endocrinologist Dr Shashank Joshi, one of the lead authors of the INDIAB study. Considering that one in every four Indian adults suffers from high blood pressure, one can gauge the extent of heart problems caused by salt among India.

The highlight of the NEJM study, conducted by a 100-member team of academicians led-by Tufts University, is that it's the first to quantify the effect of excess sodium on cardiovascular diseases. The final conclusion was that in 2010 alone, around 1.65 million across the world suffered fatal heart problems aggravated by their high sodium intake.

To arrive at the conclusion, the study—funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation—analyzed existing data from 205 surveys of sodium intake in 66 countries. The effects of sodium on blood pressure and of blood pressure on cardiovascular diseases were determined separately. The researchers then combined these findings with the current rates of cardiovascular diseases around 187 countries to estimate the number of cardiovascular deaths attributable to sodium consumption above 2gm per day.

"This important study reiterates that excess salt intake is equivalent to tobacco intake in terms of human disease and death. India ranks high on the list of countries with excess salt intake and resultant cardiovascular disease and deaths," said senior Delhi-based endocrinologist Dr Anoop Misra. He felt that a reduction in salt intake is not possible without legal restrictions and policy changes. "Salt restriction should be at the top of health policy planning to contain hypertension and heart disease," he added.

BDST: 0901 HRS, AUG 15,2014