Experts are urging the public to consume less salt to reduce the risk of preventable diseases, such as heart disease and stroke after a report found that the average Thai consumes almost twice the recommended daily intake.
In an effort to raise public awareness of the dangers of consuming too much sodium, Less Salt -- a network of health advocacy groups which is pushing for clearer guidelines on sodium consumption -- has been cataloguing the average sodium content of food typically consumed by Thais.
Krisada Hanbunjerd, chief of Less Salt's Non-Communicable Diseases division, said the survey was first launched in 2020 in Phayao.
The network, with the support from the Thai Health Promotion Foundation, Mahidol University and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), wants to expand the survey to other provinces next year, so consumers can have a better picture of what they are consuming, Dr Krisada said.
Less Salt's president, Surasak Kantachuvesiri, said the average Thai consumes 3,636 milligrammes of sodium each day, much higher than the 2,000mg recommended by the World Health Organization.
High sodium intake is associated with a higher risk of high blood pressure, kidney problems, heart disease and stroke, he said.
The survey will be carried out with a sodium-ion meter developed by Mahidol University's Department of Biomedical Engineering, which is specifically designed to work with Thai food, Dr Krisada said.
This data will be collated into guidelines the public can access through the Thai Salt Survey mobile application, he said.
