Salt warning labels on restaurant menus key to fight heart, kidney disease: The Lancet

New Delhi, July 30 (IANS) Salt warning labels on menus in restaurants may help diners rethink over high-salt meals and make healthier choices, according to a study.

It may also be a key strategy to fight cardiovascular diseases as well as kidney damage caused by a high-salt diet.

In a first-of-its-kind research, a team from the University of Liverpool in the UK compared people ordering at a restaurant after seeing salt warnings with those who received a menu without warnings.

The findings, published in the journal The Lancet Public Health, showed that warning labels are perceived by consumers as effective in discouraging the selection of high-salt items. Warning labels also prompted greater awareness of salt content when ordering, and significantly reduced the amount of salt actually ordered.

"Our study has found that salt warning labels on menus help people make healthier choices," said lead author Dr. Rebecca Evans, Postdoctoral Researcher in Psychology at the varsity.

"Given that excess salt intake is a leading cause of diet-related disease, this kind of labeling policy could play a vital role in improving population health."

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends less than 5 grams per day of salt (roughly under a teaspoon) or below 2g of sodium per day.

Each year, 1.89 million deaths are associated with excessive salt consumption. The salt content of many common foods eaten in restaurants is very high, but policy options to address this are lacking.

Studies have proved that too much salt in the diet can increase blood sodium, trigger water retention, increase blood volume, raise blood pressure (hypertension), leading to stroke, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, osteoporosis, and obesity.

The research included both an online and a real-world randomised controlled trial (RCT), with findings supporting the potential of menu labeling as a scalable public health strategy.

In the restaurant setting, 454 participants took part, and those who received the salt warning labelled menus ordered 12.5 per cent (0.54g) less salt on average relative to people who received menus without warning labels, said the researchers.

In the online RCT with 2,391 UK adults, salt warning labels were perceived by participants as effective in discouraging the selection of high-salt items and reduced the amount of salt ordered by 0.26g per meal.

Across both trials, labels were found to be equally effective regardless of age, sex, or education level -- suggesting the intervention may be helpful for all and therefore will not exacerbate health inequalities.

"This study demonstrates that even small nudges at the point of purchase can encourage healthier choices," added Dr. Evans.

--IANS

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