Division of Health Protection and Promotion, World Health Organization Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, Cairo, Egypt.
Department of Nutrition and Food Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.
East Mediterr Health J. 2019 Feb 18;24(12):1172-1180. doi: 10.26719/emhj.18.006.
The high burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), particularly cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), in countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region requires an immediate public health attention. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended salt reduction as a "best buy", recognizing it as one of the most cost-effective approaches in preventing NCDs and reducing CVDs and medical costs.
In the context of the global target to reduce salt intake by 30% by 2025, the objective of this review is to present an up-to-date overview of the current salt reduction initiatives in the Region by highlighting regional and national policies, strategies, and activities that aim at characterizing and/or reducing the intakes of dietary salt.
This review details the WHO policies and strategies which address salt reduction in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region.
The high intake levels of sodium in the countries of the Region are emphasized. The policies and strategies in place to address this situation are described, however, there is a need for more data on intake levels.
There are a number of salt reduction initiatives currently being undertaken in the countries of the Region. The WHO should continue to play a key role in providing evidence-based tools for the planning, implementation, and surveillance of national salt reduction initiatives.
东地中海区域各国的非传染性疾病（NCD）负担沉重，尤其是心血管疾病（CVD），这需要立即引起公共卫生关注。世界卫生组织（WHO）建议减少盐摄入量，将其作为“最佳选择”，认识到这是预防 NCD 和降低 CVD 及医疗成本的最具成本效益的方法之一。
在全球到 2025 年将盐摄入量减少 30%的目标背景下，本综述旨在通过突出旨在描述和/或减少饮食盐摄入量的区域和国家政策、战略和活动，介绍该区域当前减少盐摄入量的最新情况。
本综述详细介绍了 WHO 在东地中海区域减少盐摄入量的政策和战略。
强调了该区域各国钠摄入量水平较高的问题。描述了针对这一情况的政策和战略，但需要更多关于摄入量水平的数据。
该区域各国目前正在开展多项减少盐摄入量的举措。WHO 应继续在为规划、实施和监测国家减少盐摄入量举措提供循证工具方面发挥关键作用。
