Barriers, Enablers, and Perceptions on Dietary Salt Reduction in the Out-of-Home Sectors: A Scoping Review

Published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health in July 2021, Michael et al reviewed the perceptions and challenges that influence dietary salt reduction in out-of-home sectors. Drawing from different databases for published research articles up until December 2020, the review found that there were several perceived barriers that impeded salt reduction […]

Implementing Effective Salt Reduction Programs and Policies in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

In August, the Public Health Nutrition published a studied titled “Implementing effective salt reduction programs and policies in low-and-middle-income countries: learning from retrospective policy analysis in Argentina, Mongolia, South Africa and Vietnam”. This study by Webster et al, follows the Walt and Gilson’s ‘Health Policy Triangle’ to analyse the context, content, process and actors of the implementation of salt policy. The study found that each […]

Strengthening Knowledge to Practice on Effective Salt Reduction Interventions in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Published in Current Nutrition Reports, on the 5th of July, Santos et al conducted a review on the implementation and evaluation of salt reduction interventions in Low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). The review included articles related to salt reduction interventions between 2013 and 2020. Overall, the review included 32 studies, from 137 LMICs, finding that most interventions focused on education, food reformulation and […]

Salt reduction “controversy”

There is a well-established causal relationship between salt intake and increasing blood pressure. Public health messaging is therefore focused on reducing salt intake to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, over recent years several cohort studies have claimed that both high and low salt intake are associated with cardiovascular disease risk (i.e. a “J-shaped” relationship). In two complementary editorials, prominent salt reduction researchers and epidemiologists address […]

New research proves salt substitution lowers the risk of stroke and heart attack

On the 29th of August a study entitled “Effect of Salt Substitution on Cardiovascular Events and Death” was published by The New England Journal of Medicine. The study, by Neal et al from the George Institute for Global Health, found that use of reduced sodium and increased potassium salt substitutes significantly reduces rates of stroke, heart attack and death. The study was […]

The threshold of salt taste recognition among a sample of Moroccan population

Published in Nutrition & Food Science on 1st December 2020, Guennoun et al conducted a simple-blind experimental study to determine salt taste recognition and evaluated differences based on gender, body mass index (BMI), and age among 201 Moroccan men and women aged 15 years and older. Conducted during 2018, the study used trained researchers and […]

Implementing the national strategy of salt reduction in Morocco: the baker´s perspective

Published in the Pan African Medical Journal on 11th December 2020, Bouhamida et al conducted a quantitative exploratory study to examine the knowledge of bakers about the national strategy of salt reduction and evaluate their current contribution and future commitment in implementing the specific recommendation related to salt reduction in bread. 432 bakeries participated in […]

Salt intake and blood pressure in Iranian children and adolescents: a population-based study

Published in BMC Cardiovascular Disorders on the 2nd of February 2021, Emamian et al conducted a cross-sectional study to investigate the daily salt intake levels of schoolchildren aged 9-15 years, and its association with high blood pressure in an area with a high prevalence of hypertension (Shahroud, northeast Iran). A subsample of 5,620 schoolchildren provided […]