Health chiefs at South Staffordshire Council are backing a national campaign to raise awareness of the damage too much salt can do to people’s health.

 

The council’s Health and Wellbeing Team are supporting ‘National Salt Awareness Week’ (1^st-7^th February) and are calling on local residents to stop and think about the amount of salt they eat each day.

 

Research from health campaign group Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH) suggests that the evidence linking salt-heavy diets to high blood pressure is overwhelming.

 

High blood pressure is the major cause of stroke and a major factor in heart disease, responsible for more than 60% of strokes, and almost half of all heart disease. Excessive salt intake is also linked to other conditions such as osteoporosis, stomach cancer and kidney disease.

 

Councillor Roger Lees, (Deputy Leader) Community Services at South Staffordshire Council is leading the council’s campaign against salt:

 

“More and more people are looking at the amount of calories they eat but most of us forget to look at the amount of salt which is in our food.”

 

“We should only really be having the recommended 6g of salt a day because too much salt really increases the risk or strokes or heart disease.”

 

For more information about the dangers of salt, local residents can log onto http://www.actiononsalt.org.uk/, or visit the council own website at www.sstaffs.gov.uk/health.

 

 

Links

 

Healthy Eating

 

Salt and your health

 

Health and Wellbeing in South Staffordshire

 

Contact

 

The Health and Wellbeing Team

South Staffordshire Council

Telephone: (01902) 696683

Email: env.commercial@sstaffs.gov.uk