The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a dire warning, revealing that cardiovascular disease is responsible for a staggering 40 per cent of deaths in Europe.
This amounts to a shocking 10,000 deaths per day, or four million per year, according to a report released by the organisation on Wednesday.
Hans Kluge, the director of the WHO’s Europe branch, emphasised the urgency of the situation, stating, “Implementing targeted policies to reduce salt intake by 25 per cent could save an estimated 900,000 lives from cardiovascular diseases by 2030.”
The report highlights the prevalence of hypertension in Europe, with one in three adults between the ages of 30 and 79 suffering from this condition, often due to excessive salt consumption.
Alarmingly, 51 of the 53 countries in the WHO’s European region exceed the recommended maximum daily salt intake of five grams, largely due to the consumption of processed foods and snacks.
The WHO emphasised the link between high salt intake and elevated blood pressure, a leading risk factor for cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and strokes.
As a result, Europe has the highest blood pressure prevalence in the world. The report also revealed a concerning gender disparity, with men in the region almost 2.5 times more likely to die from cardiovascular diseases than women.
Also, there is a stark geographic divide, with the probability of dying young from cardiovascular disease nearly five times as high in Eastern Europe and Central Asia compared to Western Europe.
