LITHGOW is at the forefront of the fight against cardiovascular disease with the recent completion of the “Drop the Salt” campaign which drew to a close recently.
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In a population survey conducted back in 2011, adults in the Lithgow region were found to be consuming salt at twice the recommended daily amount.
This alarming statistic prompted a follow- up study by the George Institute for Global Health to reduce the salt levels of Lithgow residents by 10 per cent.
More than 600 people from the local area volunteered for the follow-up study, exceeding the expectations of Research Co-ordinator Mary Anne Land who was extremely pleased with the response from the community.
“I’d like to thank the people of Lithgow for their time and enthusiasm in the completion of this study.
“Lithgow has the chance to set an example for the rest of the world here and I think they have accomplished that.”
Ms Land also mentioned plans to return to Lithgow and host a public forum to present the results of the study.
By raising awareness and giving people the tools they need to become more aware of their dietary habits, members of the Drop the Salt campaign are confident they will see a drop in salt intake for the region.
The program, funded by NSW Health, Australian Food Grocery Council and the Australian Division of Action on Salt and Health, is part of a nationwide initiative called Salt Swap, part of a larger campaign by the World Health Organisation aimed at reducing global salt intake by 30 per cent before the year 2025.
As part of the study, the George Institute is developing a salt substitute called “Salt for Life” that contains lower levels of sodium, the mineral in salt responsible for high blood-pressure and heart problems.
Salt for Life is manufactured and distributed by the Australasian company Nu- Tek Salt and will be available in July this year at all major supermarkets.
To accompany this product the George Institute is also releasing an iPhone app called Foodswitch, ready for release around the same time this year.
The app provides consumers with nutritional information they can access by scanning the barcode of food products in store before purchase, giving them detailed information about fat, sugar and salt content.
The data from the survey will be compiled over the coming months and released towards the end of the year.
