The Japanese government calls on people to reduce salt in their meals.

Through practical actions, the Japanese Government is trying to reduce people's salty eating habits with the aim of protecting public health.

According to doctors, eating too much salt can lead to a series of dangerous diseases such as stroke, heart disease, especially for the elderly. Therefore, the Japanese government has recently launched a campaign to encourage people to reduce the amount of salt in their meals.

Eating too much salt can lead to a series of dangerous diseases (illustrative photo)

There are thousands of government-funded nutrition associations in Japan. Their main activities are to improve nutrition and reduce harmful substances in daily meals. Members of the associations make it a mandatory habit to measure the salt concentration in their dishes to ensure that the amount of salt absorbed into the body is not higher than the allowable level.

A standard meal recommended in Japan, which is nutritious and good for health, only uses exactly 3 grams of salt to avoid adverse effects on the human body. With 3 meals/day, the recommended amount of salt for people over 18 years old should not exceed 9 grams/day. However, since April 2015, the Japanese Government has lowered the amount of salt that should be used in meals even lower, to 8 grams/day for men and 7 grams/day for women over 18 years old. Salt intake for children is lower than that of adults and decreases with age.

"If we absorb too much salt, our body will become dehydrated. This will lead to an increase in blood circulation in the body to compensate for the loss of water. When more blood circulates, the pressure on the heart will be greater. That will eventually increase the risk of cardiovascular disease," analyzed Ms. Shinohara Hazuki - Nutritionist, Saku City Nutrition Association.

It is estimated that the average adult in Japan consumes up to 10.3 grams of salt per day. This is considered the biggest cause of stroke in elderly people in Japan, ranking above malnutrition and cold rooms.

According to VTV