VOLUME 2007 chapter 10

Fifteen Percent Reduction in Worldwide Salt Insake Could Prevent Almost 9 Million Deaths

Reducing salt intake around the world by 15% could prevent almost 9 million deaths between 2006 and 2015, reports a study by Perviz Asaria from Kings Fund London (United Kingdom). High salt intake has been identified as a contributory factor to increasing high blood pressure, a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The researchers focused on low- and middle-income countries carrying 80% of the burden for chronic disease in the study analysis. While they found that simple dietary changes could reduce salt intake by 30%, a 15% reduction in salt intake was found to potentially correlate to saving 8.5 million lives from cardiovascular deaths.
[P. Asaria, D. Chisholm, C. Mathers, M. Ezzati, R. Beaglehole, "Chronic disease prevention: health effects and financial costs of strategies to reduce salt intake and control tobacco use." The Lancet Chronic Diseases Series, Published Online December 5, 2007, doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61698-5.]

Dr Klatz remarks: “In the western world, people consume on-average 10 to 12 grams of salt daily, mostly unknowingly as salt is frequently added by food producers/manufacturers, if not by the individual when cooking or serving foods. While salt is a vital nutrient involved in many body functions, overconsumption can markedly raise blood pressure, putting people at-risk for a fatal cardiovascular event. In general, people should reduce their consumption of processed and prepared foods, which are common sources of high concentrations of salt.”

Fitness Level, Not Body Fat, Predicts Longevity in Older Adults

Men and women age 60+ with higher levels of cardiorespiratory fitness live longer than unfit adults; this correlation is independent of levels of body fat. Xuemei Sui, of the University of South Carolina (USA), and colleagues examined the associations between cardiovascular fitness, clinical measures of body fat, and death in older adults. The researchers studied more than 2,600 adults ages 60+, for a 12 year period, during which there were 450 deaths. The team found that those who died were older, had lower fitness levels, and had more cardiovascular risk factors than survivors. However, there were no significant differences in body fat measures. Across a wide variance of body fat levels (excluding the most obese), fit study subjects were found to have lower death rates than unfit subjects. Higher levels of fitness also corresponded to lower all-cause death. In their published report, the researchers comment: “The results add to the existing evidence that promoting physical activity in older adults provides substantial health benefits, even in the oldest old.”
[Sui X, Laditka JN, Hardin JW, Blair SN. “Estimated Functional Capacity Predicts Mortality in Older Adults.” J Am Geriatr Soc. 2007 Nov 4; [Epub ahead of print].]

Dr. Goldman observes: “Physical fitness and body physique, both individually and synergistically, play a complex role in lifespsan and healthspsan. This study shows that regular physical activity, sufficient to keep most people out of the low-fitness category, enhances functional capacity and promotes living longer and in better health.”

The Toll of Childhood Obesity on Life Expectancy

The worldwide epidemic of childhood obesity is progressing at an alarming rate, and the disease is now projected to take its toll on life expectancy. For the first time since the Civil War, life expectancy in the United States is expected to drop by two to five years, as the generation of obese children reaches adulthood. In a study of 276,835 Danish schoolchildren, Jennifer Baker, from the Institute of Preventive Medicine, Center for Health and Society (Copenhagen, Denmark) and colleagues found a direct correlation between increased boy mass index (BMI) in children ages 7 to 13 and an increased risk of heart disease in adulthood. Further, the team notes that this risk increases with increasing age. They suggest: “Because more children are becoming heavier at progressively younger ages, our results suggest that a focus should be placed on helping children to attain and maintain appropriate weight to prevent future adverse health consequences.”
[Jennifer L. Baker, Lina W. Olsen, Thorkild I.A. Sørensen. “Childhood Body-Mass Index and the Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in Adulthood.” New England Journal of Medicine, Volume 357:2329-2337, December 6, 2007, Number 23.]

Dr. Klatz comments: “Worldwide, children are becoming heavier at younger ages. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that 19% of children ages 6 to 11 are overweight. Not only does excess weight cause orthopedic and joint problems, hormonal imbalances, and social stigmatization, it is now definitively correlated to an increased risk of coronary heart disease in adulthood. Parents must set an example to their children by themselves engaging in regular physical activity and exercising prudent measures of dietary management such as portion control, reduction of processed and prepared foods, and increased daily consumption of raw, natural foods. Otherwise, as this report shows, the next generation of adults will be plagued by premature disease and death.”

< PREVIOUS PAGE NEXT PAGE >