Health Minister: Iranians Consume Three Times More Salt Than the Global Average

On Sunday, March 8, the Minister of Health, Treatment, and Medical Education, Hassan Ghazizadeh Hashemi, stated that Iranians consume at least three times more salt than the global average. In his remarks at the first 'Health Assembly', he referred to several health issues affecting Iranian men and women. He identified excessive salt consumption as a major public health problem, noting, 'Our salt consumption is 12 grams, which is at least three times the global average, primarily due to the high salt content in bread.' According to the Minister, 85% of women and 94% of men in Iran consume salt above the permissible limit. Previously, Rasoul Dinavand, head of the Food and Drug Organization, had reported that salt, sugar, and fat consumption among Iranians is in poor condition and emphasized the need for 'national reform' regarding the regulations of certain food products. For instance, the salt content in cheese has been reduced from 4% to 2%, and in bread from 2% to 1.8%. Shahram Rafieifar, director of the Education and Research Office of the Ministry of Health, had previously stated, 'Salt, sugar, and heroin are three white poisons. Salt causes more deaths than heroin, while everyone combats heroin, whereas salt is much more harmful.' According to Ghazizadeh Hashemi, non-communicable diseases are the leading cause of death in contemporary societies, and he expressed hope that desirable standards could be implemented in Iran within a 10 to 15-year period. He reported that the obesity prevalence among Iranian women is 29.76% and 15.29% among men. According to the state news agency IRNA, Ghazizadeh Hashemi stated on January 19 that '50% of Iran's population is overweight, with a higher percentage among women.' He also mentioned physical activity, noting that '96% of Iranian women have very little or no physical activity, while this figure is reported at 83% among men.' Hypertension is another health issue among Iranians, with the Minister stating that half of those with hypertension are unaware of their condition. Ghazizadeh Hashemi indicated that 28.19% of women and 28.31% of men in Iran suffer from hypertension. The prevalence of diabetes in the country is 10.3% among women and 8.5% among men, while blood lipid levels are 29.5% in women and 22.5% in men. However, the Minister noted that 50% of Iranian deaths are due to heart disease and strokes. Tobacco consumption statistics indicate that 4% of men and 25.16% of women smoke in Iran. The Minister identified tobacco use, unhealthy diets, lack of physical activity, and alcohol consumption as four factors contributing to the rise of non-communicable diseases in Iran. Previously, ISNA reported that Reza Malekzadeh, Deputy for Research and Technology at the Ministry of Health, stated on February 19 that hundreds of thousands die prematurely in Iran each year, with many diseases leading to premature death caused by obesity, lack of exercise, poor nutrition, and excessive energy consumption. According to this official, approximately 213,000 individuals under 70 and 100,000 under 55 die from premature causes each year. He added that about 90% of Iranians have minimal physical activity, which will lead to hypertension in 60% and diabetes in 10% of the population. In this context, around '500,000' Iranians suffer from heart attacks and strokes annually. A health ministry official stated that 60,000 smokers die in Iran each year. Obesity in Iran is characterized by a consumption of '1,000 calories' above the global average.