After a recent study Health Experts in Thailand are urging the public to consume less sodium (Salt) to reduce their risk of heart disease and stroke after the study revealed that the average Thai consumes almost twice the recommended daily intake.

In an effort to raise public awareness of the dangers of sodium, health experts are pushing for clearer guidelines on sodium consumption from Thailand’s Health Department.

Dr. Krisada Hanbunjerd, President of Thai Low Salt Network, said the first survey was first launched in 2020 in northern Thailand’s Phayao province. He said they want to expand the survey to other provinces next year, to get a better picture of how much sodium people are consuming.

According to research the average Thai consumes 3,636 milligrams of sodium each day, much higher than the 2,000mg recommended by the World Health Organization.

In Thailand, fish sauce is used both in cooking and also served at the table as a condiment. Fish sauce is the saltiest Asian style sauce. On average one tablespoon has 96% of the max daily sodium intake.

High sodium intake is associated with a higher risk of high blood pressure, kidney problems, heart disease and stroke, he said.

Dr. Krisada told reporters that the next survey will be carried out with a sodium-ion meter developed by Mahidol University’s Department of Biomedical Engineering, which is specifically designed to work with Thai food.

This data will be collated into guidelines the public can access through the Thai Salt Survey mobile application, he said.