Beyond the Shaker: Quantifying Salt Intake in Tirana through Urinary Sodium Analysis

Abstract

Background: High salt intake is associated with high blood pressure and adverse cardiovascular health. To figure out average salt intake, we investigated the dietary salt intake from 24-h urinary sodium excretion with a random adult sample from Tirana, the capital city of Albania. Materials and Methods: One hundred and fifty adults aged 18–75 years were randomly selected from a sample of 100000 people from 2 quarters of Tirana’s adult population. Anthropometric measures and sodium excretion in a 24-h urine collection were measured. The accuracy of urine collections was verified using creatinine excretion in relation to weight. Results: The mean Na excretions over 24 h were 202.54 (standard deviation [SD] 93.56) mmol/day. Urinary sodium excretion was significantly higher in men (223.85 [SD 106.51] mmol Na/day) than in women (190.80 [SD 83.96] mmol Na/d); P = 0,045. Average salt intake was 11.8 (SD 5.48) g/d, higher in men than in women (13.08 [SD 6.23] vs. 11,09 [SD 4.92] g/d, respectively). Salt intake increases slightly with increasing age, but there was no significant correlation between age and salt intake. It was also seen that salt consumption increased with increasing body mass index (r = 0.183, P = 0.001). Conclusion: Dietary salt intake in Tirana adults was high, which exceeds the World Health Organization recommended population nutrient intake. Reducing the intake of table salt and traditionally processed foods will be an important strategy to reduce sodium intake among our adults. A national program for reducing salt intake in Albania needs to be conducted through systematic efforts, including public education and involving the health-care sector and the food industry.