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Excessive salt consumption is fuelling a silent epidemic in India with people at increased risk of hypertension, stroke, heart disease, and kidney disorders, according to scientists from ICMR's National Institute of Epidemiology. The scientists have initiated a community-led salt reduction study to address the issue and are focusing on low sodium salt substitutes. While the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends less than 5 grams of salt per person per day, studies show that urban Indians consume around 9.2 grams/day, and even in rural areas it is around 5.6 grams/day - both higher than recommended. One promising tool in this effort is low-sodium salt substitutes -- ?blends where part of the sodium chloride is replaced with potassium or magnesium salts, Dr Sharan Murali, a senior scientist at National Institute of Epidemiology (NIE) and principal investigator of the study, said. "Lesser sodium consumption helps reduce blood pressure and improves overall heart health, making ...
All Indian salt and sugar brands, whether big or small, packaged or unpackaged, contain microplastics, according to a study published on Tuesday. The study, "Microplastics in Salt and Sugar" and conducted by the environmental research organisation Toxics Link, tested 10 types of salt -- including table salt, rock salt, sea salt and local raw salt -- and five types of sugar purchased from both online and local markets. The study revealed the presence of microplastics in all salt and sugar samples, in various forms, including fibre, pellets, films and fragments. The size of these microplastics ranged from 0.1 mm to 5 mm. The highest levels of microplastics were found in iodised salt, in the form of multi-coloured thin fibre and films. Toxics Link founder-director Ravi Agarwal said, "The objective of our study was to contribute to the existing scientific database on microplastics so that the global plastic treaty can address this issue in a concrete and focused manner." "We also aim