Recommended salt (sodium) intake for Malaysians

Salt (sodium chloride) is a crucial ingredient in any meal in the Malaysian diet. Without salt, a meal would never be complete.

Besides providing taste and flavour to our meals, sodium is also an essential mineral that plays a vital role in maintaining human health such as regulating electrolytes and fluids in the body and for nerve and muscle function.

However, consuming too much salt is detrimental to our health. High salt or sodium intake has been associated with an increased risk of high blood pressure (hypertension), heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure.

How does salt intake affect blood pressure?

A high sodium intake causes fluid retention in our body. This leads to an increase in blood volume and results in an elevated blood pressure due to pressure exerted against the blood vessels.

High blood pressure is defined when the systolic reading is higher than 140 mmHg, or the diastolic reading is higher than 90 mmHg, or both.

30% of Malaysian adults aged 18 years old and above have hypertension according to the 2019 National Health and Morbidity Survey. Many people are unaware they have hypertension, which is also known as a “silent killer”. It can lead to heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure if left untreated.

What is the recommended salt intake for Malaysians?

The Malaysian Community Salt Survey (MyCoSS) study on salt intake shows that 79% of Malaysians are consuming 7.9 g (1.6 teaspoons) salt or 3,167 mg sodium per day.

However, this amount is above the recommended intake by World Health Organisation (WHO), which is less than 5 g of salt per day or less than 2000 mg sodium per day for an average adult.

According to the Recommended Nutrient Intake (RNI) 2017, the sodium requirement is 1500 mg per day for an average Malaysian adult aged 19 years old and above.

This amount is equivalent to one teaspoon of salt (including hidden salt) in food products. Sources of hidden salt are usually in the form of sodium nitrate, sodium bicarbonate, and monosodium glutamate.

How to reduce daily salt intake?

Reducing salt intake is crucial to reduce the risk of hypertension that leads to other health concerns.

Your preference for salty food is an acquired taste. Therefore, it is highly possible to reduce the consumption of salt until you are used to eating food with lower salt quantity.

Here are some ways to reduce your dietary salt intake:

1. An excellent way to keep track of salt in your food is to taste the food that you are cooking.
2. Choose natural flavour enhancers such as onion, garlic, turmeric, ginger, white/black pepper, spices, lemongrass, citrus, etc.
3. Prioritise fresh fruits, vegetables, and meat over processed foods.
4. Check nutritional labels on food packaging and compare the sodium content for each food product before purchasing. Always choose products with low sodium content.
5. Try your best to prepare home-cooked food. Reduce eating out and takeaways. Ask for less sauce and gravy when you are eating out. Avoid dipping your food in excessive condiments.

6. Avoid or limit consumption of ultra-processed food products with high-sodium content such as:

   • Instant noodles
   • Snacks with high salt content such as potato chips and salted nuts
   • Salted eggs, fish, vegetables, pickles
   • Canned food such as soups, meat, baked beans, green beans, corn
   • Smoked and/or processed meat such as bacon, sausages, ham, luncheon meat, nuggets
7. Limit the usage of flavour enhancers such as monosodium glutamate (MSG) and ready-made cooking pastes and pre-mix sauces
8. Limit the usage of high-sodium sauces and seasonings such as soya sauce, oyster sauce, chilli sauce, tomato sauce, etc.

Make an appointment at Pantai Hospitals

If you have questions about how to reduce salt intake and have adequate nutrition in your daily diet, contact the team of dietitians at your nearest Pantai Hospital to receive professional dietary advice to help kickstart your health journey.

To make an appointment for health screening, please contact the health screening centre at the Pantai Hospital nearest to you.

Pantai Hospitals have been accredited by the Malaysian Society for Quality in Health (MSQH) for its commitment to patient safety and service quality.

References

1. Salt reduction. Available at https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/salt-reduction#:~:text=Salt%20intake%20of%20less%20than,reduction%20in%20high%20blood%20pressure [Accessed on 22 July 2022]
2. Salt and Sodium. Available at https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/salt-and-sodium/ [Accessed on 22 July 2022]
3. High sodium food consumption pattern among Malaysian population. Available at https://jhpn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s41043-021-00230-5 [Accessed on 2 August 2022]
4. Report on reducing salt intake in Malaysia: An interim evaluation of what works. Available at https://www.who.int/malaysia/news/detail/15-01-2020-report-on-reducing-salt-intake-in-malaysia-an-interim-evaluation-of-what-works [Accessed on 2 August 2022]
5. Choose and prepare foods with less salt and sauces. Available at https://www.moh.gov.my/moh/images/gallery/Garispanduan/diet/km9.pdf [Accessed on 2 August 2022]
6. Salt Reduction Strategy to Prevent and Control NCD for Malaysia 2021-2025. Available at https://www.moh.gov.my/moh/resources/Penerbitan/Rujukan/NCD/Garam/Salt_Reduction_Strategy_To_Prevent_And_Control_NCD_For_Malaysia_2021-2025_26082021.pdf [Accessed on 2 August 2022]