The Uzbek Health Ministry with the assistance of the World Health Organization conducted a research in 2015-2016 on the salt intake amount by the population in Uzbekistan.
The study found that adults aged 18 to 64 in Uzbekistan on average consume 14.9 grams of salt per day. About 46.5% of the population consume more than 15 g/day, 53.2% - on average 7,5-15,0 g/day and 0.3% - less than 7.5 g/day. Three quarters of senior citizens consume more than 15 g/day.
The study also found a strong correlation between salt intake and age in both males and females, with no difference in salt consumption between rural and urban populations. In general, salt consumption by population in Uzbekistan is higher than the daily amount recommended by the World Health Organization which is less than 5 grams per day.
High salt intake contributes to high blood pressure, which in turn increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. Around 1.7 million deaths worldwide could be prevented each year by simply reducing salt intake to the recommended level. People often do not realize how much salt they consume a day. In many countries, about 75 percent of total salt intake comes from salt added to processed foods.
