Dietary sodium in Caribbean populations

cover Dietary sodium in Caribbean populations

Overview

High sodium intakes have been recognized as an issue for many Caribbean countries. Given that noncommunicable diseases and their associated mortalities and morbidities are highly prevalent in Caribbean Community Member States, regional health agencies such as the Pan American Health Organization, the Caribbean Public Health Agency, and local health ministries have begun to take a closer look at the amount of sodium consumed at the population level. In addition, several evidence-based policies have been developed for implementation at the regional level. Chronic consumption of dietary sodium in excess of the World Health Organization’s recommendations (2000 mg/day) is associated with many health complications including higu blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases. Is is estimated that 1.89 million deaths each year are aasociated with excessive sodium intake. To protect the health of Caribbean populations, it is important to promote dietary practices consistent with the World Health Organization´s principales for healthy diets, including those that encourage sodium and potassium intakes consistent with WHO´s guidelines. This review provides a summary of studies examining dietary intake, content in food products, and urinary excretion of sodium and potassium in Caribbean (and occasionally Latin American countries) populations. Collectively, the available evidence points to an excess of sodium consumption, almost twice the World Health Organization’s recommendation and widespread low potassium consumption. To rectify this, Caribbean Community countries need to accelerate the development of policies and legislation to regulate the sodium content in foods and implement available cost-effective evidence-based interventions that promote healthy eating and healthy lifestyles, including those described in the SHAKE technical package, such as front-of-package warning labelling, marketing restrictions on processed and ultra-processed foods with excessive sodium content and implementing the updated PAHO regional sodium reduction targets.