About 17.6% of the Thai population, or eight million people, are suffering from chronic kidney disease, of which 200,000 are in the final stages. These figures are increasing by an average of 7,800 a year, according to Professor Dr. Atiporn Ingsathit, deputy director of Ramathibodi Hospital, quoting a 2020 report by the Ministry of Public Health.

 

According to the US Renal Data System (USRDS), Thailand ranks 5th in the world for kidney disease.  One of the causes of the high incidence of the disease is excessive consumption of sodium, averaging 3,635mg/day, or about two teaspoons full, which is twice the amount recommended. Sodium is present in seasonings, such as soy saucy, fish sauce, shrimp paste, soup and seasoning powder.

 

Dr. Atiporn recommended that the best way to prevent kidney disease is to change eating habits, by consuming less than 2,000mg of sodium per day.

 

Full Story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/eating-too-much-sodium-blamed-for-high-rate-of-kidney-disease-in-thailand/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2023-02-23

 

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Would be helpful if article said the tests required to check

7 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Would be helpful if article said the tests required to check

Don't hold your breath expecting well thought out and written features from the usual sources. 

Not just salt, but the sugar too, as every time you eat, your insulin spikes and high insulin levels are at the base root of so many health conditions. What a lot of people don't realise is that the human body simply hasn't evolved to eat three salty meals a day plus sugary snacks and drinks. For thousands of years you were lucky if you ate once a day, and if unlucky, once every two or three days, and the human body has evolved to cope with that... hence why intermittent fasting is so good for you. Of course, the food industry and big pharma don't want people to know that though.

Edited February 23, 20233 yr by Sir Dude
Typos

6 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

Would be helpful if article said the tests required to check

Sodium means salt (= sodium chloride), so the test is "does it taste salty"?

Thai food tastes very salty compared to Chinese food, which is always too bland if you are used to Thai food. The salty liquids mentioned in the article are consumed by the gallon. That they are unhealthy is obvious to anyone who still has some remnants of natural feelings for nutrition (not to Americans and Brits). They are tasty, though, I like them a lot.

Try to tell Thai wives about silent sodium is like telling them they aren't always right!

 Every day for the last 3 years Ive tried to stay under the daily amount of sodium suggested for a healthy diet while living with Stage 2 CKD!

Hopefully I’ll be able to squeeze out another 10 years out of my kidneys.

Edited February 23, 20233 yr by riclag

Globally, I believe the leading causes are diabetes and high blood pressure.  Salt could certainly be a factor in the latter. But I doubt it's the main player suggested here.  It's intriguing though- why so high?

We all need sodium and one has to be careful not to go too low on sodium as that can cause a whole set of new problems.

 

The problem of consuming too much sodium is often not in salt added to meals, but in processed foods which can be very high in sodium.

 

Thai food can be high on sodium too with fish sauce, soy sauce and other popular flavouring sauces very high in sodium and added in considerable amounts to many Thai dishes.

 

If you're worried you might have too much sodium in your diet, you can balance it out to some extent by increasing your potassium intake. The ratio of potassium to sodium should be 2 : 1. Leafy greens and avocados are a good place to start to increase your potassium. I eat one avocado per day which is around 900 mg of potassium.

 

You can also take a potassium supplement but note that potassium capsules are limited to 99 mg which is very little when you consider that the RDA for potassium is 4,600 mg! I personally take potassium citrate powder in a glass of water. About 500 mg in the morning and 500 mg before bed.

bananas also good for sodium .. eat them green for less sugar

 

Thai food and kidney disease – an unholy alliance
By Peter Roche

 

 

About 17.6% of the Thai population, or eight million people, are suffering from chronic kidney disease, of which 200,000 are in the final stages. These figures are increasing by an average of 7,800 a year, according to Professor Dr. Atiporn Ingsathit, deputy director of Ramathibodi Hospital, quoting a 2020 report by the Ministry of Public Health.

 

According to the US Renal Data System, Thailand ranks 5th in the world for kidney disease.

 

One of the causes of the high incidence of the disease is excessive consumption of sodium, averaging 3,635 milligrams per day, or about two teaspoons full, which is twice the amount recommended. Sodium is present in seasonings, such as soy sauce, fish sauce, shrimp paste, soup and seasoning powder.

 

So that incredibly tasty Thai food has a lot more salt (and other things in it) than is desirable for a modern healthy diet.

 

Dr. Atiporn recommended that the best way to prevent kidney disease is to change eating habits, by consuming less than 2,000mg of sodium per day.

 

She said that kidney disease does not produce symptoms until it reaches the final stage, so many Thais are not aware that they are suffering from the disease, and she recommended that Thai people get regular medical check-ups, so that the disease can be diagnosed at an early stage and treated accordingly.

 

She cited the case of a patient, about 30 years old, who visited a doctor complaining of fatigue. The blood test showed that he was in the final stage of the disease.

 

When asked how many times he urinated each day and whether he tired easily, the patient said he didn’t count and thought he was tired because of hard work and insufficient sleep, according to Dr. Atiporn.

 

She explained that kidney disease can occur in children from birth. In elderly people, the disease might be caused by long periods on medicines which are harmful to the kidneys, diabetes or high blood pressure.

 

She said that kidney disease places a heavy burden on the families of the patients and it also badly affects the livelihoods of the patients, adding that the state is spending between 3 and 4 billion baht each year on the treatment of kidney patients.

 

Patients in the final stages of kidney disease will require dialysis at least three times a week and each session takes about 4 hours. The cost of dialysis ranges from 25,000-30,000 baht per month.

 

About 5,000 patients are on the waiting list for a kidney transplant each year, but only 700 receive a transplant.

 

Source: https://phuket-go.com/phuket-news/phuket-life/thai-food-and-kidney-disease-an-unholy-alliance/

 

-- © Copyright Phuket GO 2023-02-24

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

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3 hours ago, Lorry said:

...

Thai food tastes very salty compared to Chinese food, which is always too bland if you are used to Thai food.

...

Um.

No.

 

Edited February 23, 20233 yr by Jingthing

Another thing is they don't drink enough water. But that's not just Thais. Lots of people are dehydrated and don't even know it. It causes all sorts of problems.

Edited February 23, 20233 yr by rattlesnake

"the best way to prevent kidney disease is to change eating habits"

 

expert advice from a highly qualified Thai expert... that will solve the problem.

5 hours ago, Lorry said:

Sodium means salt (= sodium chloride), so the test is "does it taste salty"?

Thai food tastes very salty compared to Chinese food, which is always too bland if you are used to Thai food. The salty liquids mentioned in the article are consumed by the gallon. That they are unhealthy is obvious to anyone who still has some remnants of natural feelings for nutrition (not to Americans and Brits). They are tasty, though, I like them a lot.

Most likely BUN and creatinine blood tests. People need to see it in black and white

Edited February 23, 20233 yr by scubascuba3

My wife is more likely to die from running into the greenery and coming back with some tree branch for a brew than sodium !

4 hours ago, liddelljohn said:

bananas also good for sodium .. eat them green for less sugar

 

Because bananas have potassium. But actually, bananas aren't that high in potassium (about 300 mg for an "average" sized banana). If you have an issue with sodium and are struggling to reduce your sodium intake, increasing your potassium intake will be very helpful. Avocados are a great source of potassium. Alternatively, potassium citrate powder is very cheap and effective.

Edited February 24, 20233 yr by mstevens

Salt aside, there’s a ton of gut issues in Thailand… all those rich chilli- ‘n MSG-laden sauces. Taste good, but ????

People who don't exercise or keep themselves in trim are much more prone to all sorts of morbidities including kidney disease, primarily because they tend to be overweight and inactive.  Sure, diet matters to some extent, as does basic genetic disposition. But, it is too reductionist just to focus on salt, or even food generally.  If we were to focus on food, I notice a lot of Thais simply don't eat fruit and veg.

 

 

1 hour ago, mstevens said:

Because bananas have potassium. But actually, bananas aren't that high in potassium (about 300 mg for an "average" sized banana). If you have an issue with sodium and are struggling to reduce your sodium intake, increasing your potassium intake will be very helpful. Avocados are a great source of potassium. Alternatively, potassium citrate powder is very cheap and effective.

A banana will give you a good amount of potassium, as will a medium sized potato, and many other easy to eat/prepare foods, such as oats, beans, etc.  No need to get too 'elitist' about any one food.

IMHO - The problem is that they use in EVERY single dish the "Chulot or rot-dee" which is Monosodium Glutamate know also as MSG as a flavor enhancer!

I opened in the 80's a Thai restaurant. But aware of the so called "China Syndrome" (allergic reaction or even diarrhea) caused by the intake of Glutamate I totally abolished it in the preparation o food! I clearly declared it on the Menu that "Our kitchen is totally Monosodium Glutamate free!"

50% of humans react (most mildly) after intake of MSG with allergic reactions...

I am convinced that the omnipresence of MSG in Thai Food is the cause of this excessive consumption of sodium.

Those who I know just ignore any health advice. If a food taste is not reach in salt add more salt, that food is already salty to me ????. I guess since they consume too much salt everyday low salt food has no taste to them. And MSG is another poison in food. I believe It is possibly added to all food in Thailand 

They should put warning labels on foods with high salt, excessive calories, sugar and/or trans fats. Dead nuts simple. 

1 minute ago, Venom said:

They should put warning labels on foods with high salt, excessive calories, sugar and/or trans fats. Dead nuts simple. 

But will those warnings be read and taken notice of? No way.

6 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

But will those warnings be read and taken notice of? No way.

Nobody takes scientific advice to limit salt? Seriously?

1 minute ago, ozimoron said:

Nobody takes scientific advice to limit salt? Seriously?

I was talking about Thais.

Edited February 24, 20233 yr by KannikaP

Just now, KannikaP said:

I was talkig about Thais.

Me too. Why are Thais unlikely to heed medical advice?

A massage woman was telling me she's been semi-disabled for over a month by gut issues. Having been there myself and read up on it, there are so many possible ways for that to happen in Thailand as well as the ways that commonly happen everywhere, that it would make a very long list.

4 hours ago, bangon04 said:

"the best way to prevent kidney disease is to change eating habits"

 

expert advice from a highly qualified Thai expert... that will solve the problem.

Part the same advice usually given in the West, innit? Good far as it goes. Our own highly qualified experts seem on board, too, and have of course added in their whataboutism.

Edited February 24, 20233 yr by BigStar

17 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Sodium is present in seasonings, such as soy saucy, fish sauce, shrimp paste, soup and seasoning powder.

There is a "less sodium" soy sauce available (44 percent less). Seasonings can easily be reduced simply through making two or three uses out of the packages, instead of just one (don't usually need an entire package anyway, as it overwhelms). There are even no salt and less salt tortilla chips manufactured right here in Thailand, which are cheaper than the salty imports. Salt reduction is not difficult if people move their eyeballs to the right and left on the shelves.

Salt is the least problem, double the amount is no problem at all.

Not drinking enough

high blood sugar: most probably the biggest problem

pain medication

Unhealthy lifestyle
checking for diabetics is the most important thing in Thailand.