The first findings of the EHUH 2 scientific research of hypertension in the country shows that this reduction of the daily salt intake has also led to a lowering of pressure in blood vessels by two millimeters of mercury.
The Croatian Institute of Public Health (HZJZ) has also reported a drop in cardiovascular mortality rates.
Thus, reducing high blood pressure is in correlation with 7% fewer deaths from coronary diseases and with 10% fewer stroke-related deaths, the head of the society, academician Bojan Jelaković, has told Hina.
Therefore fighting against higher intakes of salt is perceived by the society as one of the priorities in efforts to combat hypertension, referred to as the “silent killer”.
The fight against excessive amounts of salt in food started in 2006, when the society adopted a declaration on the matter.
In 2006, the average daily intake of salt by men was 13 grammes and by women 10.5 grammes,
A salt intake of less than 5 grammes (approximately 2g sodium) per person per day is recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, the leading cause of death globally.
Thus, Croatia did not fare well in those years.
However, the Croatian Agency for Agriculture and Food (HAPIH) then also started to define the recommendable amount of salt which should be added to bread and bakery products. In 2016, the Ministry of Agriculture adopted rules setting the upper level of salt in a bakery product at 1.4%.
Jelaković said that the leading bakery companies have followed the guideline and complied with the rules. The HAPIH has established in the meantime that there is 22% less sodium chloride in bakery products in comparison to the levels in 2006.
On the other hand, he noted that the meat processing industry seems more disobedient and has not yet reduced the concentration of sodium chloride to desirable levels.