Consultant Cautions On Salt Consumption

A consultant
endochnonologist, Dr Sunny Chinenye  has advised on the danger posed by excessive  intake of table salt.
Dr Chinenye, a Consultant Physician at University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), said the black man, by nature of his genetic make up retains salt in his body and therefore has to be cautious on the level of salt consumption.
“When a black man takes salt, his kidney retains it and the more salt  retain,  and the more fluid you retain, the higher your blood pressure and that is why we, the black race, are predisposition to having high blood pressure.
One of the things that has really happened to us over the years as a matter of racial adaptation is that our kidney has the tendency to retain salt”, he explained.
He noted that aside from the salt we consume in foods  there are other  ways by which salt gets into the body such when salt is used as a preservative or when a person suffers liver scierosis.
Chinenye explained that excess salt in the body poses many health challenge saying, two of the commonest cause of stroke in Nigeria are hypertension and diabetes, pointing salt as the culprit.
He further said, excess salt in the body could lead to metabolic disorder, which he said could result  in obesity.
Excess  salt, he further said could spill into the eyes and form exudates blindness.
He observed that though there are no foods without salt, sodium chloride naturally occurs, processed foods are usually loaded with salt  and should therefore be avoided.
He said to promote healthy living, salt intake should be reduced adding, “once the food has been cooked and you can appreciate the salt, don’t add salt on the table as it can only serve to increase your salt intake”.

Tonye Nria- Dappa/Ngozi Enyi