The average north Indian diet is high in salt and low in potassium, protein, increasing risk of chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular disease & hypertension
Photo for representation: iStock The food consumed by states in North India, a cuisine loved all over the country, may not be the healthiest, a new study showed. It has a high salt content and doesn’t provide the required amount of potassium and proteins. These imbalances can lead to chronic kidney disease (CKD), cardiovascular ailments and non-communicable diseases like hypertension, the report by PGIMER, Chandigarh, and The George Institute for Global Health, India, highlighted.
Women may be particularly at risk because, the study showed, their nutritional intake is lower than men.
The study had 400 adult participants, including healthy adults and those with early-stage CKD. The subjects “comprised men and women with varying body mass indices, blood pressure and abdominal obesity”, the scientists wrote in the report published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition.
The researchers went beyond documenting what the participants said they eat and used 24-hour urinary excretion analysis for a more scientifically strong assessments of nutrient consumed.
They found that most of the subjects (65 per cent) had sodium levels as high as 8 mg daily, compared to the 2 mg limit prescribed by the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO limit can be attained by consuming 5mg of salt, the researchers noted.
On the other hand, potassium intake of most was lower than the WHO recommendation of 3.5 gm, and protein levels were also found to be “very low”, according to Ashok Yadav, associate professor, experimental medicine and biotechnology, PGIMER, Chandigarh, and the lead author of the report.
Looking at the findings together, a serious threat emerges: A diet that is high on salt and low on potassium makes people more vulnerable to developing hypertension, cardiovascular diseases and CKD, the researchers warned.
Moreover, a low protein diet can cause muscle wasting since the nutrient is the body’s building block, they explained. “The low dietary diversity leads to imbalance and unhealthy eating,” added Yadav.
The WHO recommends that people with chronic conditions such as kidney diseases and hypertension should restrict their sodium intake to 1.2 gm daily. Apart from this, the researchers pointed out that nuts, green vegetables and fruits like kiwis and bananas are rich sources of potassium and must be included to balance our diet.
Systemic changes are also necessary, they highlighted. For this, labelling on food packaging should improve to provide more information prominently; sodium content should be reduced in processed food and programmes should be conducted to inform people about these dietary imbalances and what a healthier diet should constitute.
Personalised changes are also important and must be adopted to close the nutrition gap, the authors advocated. For this, public awareness campaigns, individual counseling and food policy reforms are vital tools, according to Vivekanand Jha, executive director, The George Institute for Global Health, India.
Generally, the population should be encouraged to eat more fruits and vegetables, the researchers added.
We are a voice to you; you have been a support to us. Together we build journalism that is independent, credible and fearless. You can further help us by making a donation. This will mean a lot for our ability to bring you news, perspectives and analysis from the ground so that we can make change together.
.png)
Comments are moderated and will be published only after the site moderator’s approval. Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name. Selected comments may also be used in the ‘Letters’ section of the Down To Earth print edition.