Thai people eat too much salty food and risk suffering from kidney diseases

[webfact]

Thai people eat too much salty food and risk suffering from kidney diseases



BANGKOK: -- Thais are at risk of suffering from chronic kidney diseases because they have the habit of adding food seasoning such as fish sauce, soybean sauce and shrimp paste to add flavours to their food.

Dr Surasak Kantachuvetsiri, a lecturer at the medical science faculty of Ramathibodi hospital, Mahidol university, disclosed Monday that Thais consume an average of 10.8 grammes of salt per day compared to the World Health’s standard rate of five grammes.

Too much eating of salt which is found in five popular food seasoning items preferred by Thais will cause the kidney to work harder and can lead to kidney diseases requiring dialysis, said the doctor, adding that the number of patients requiring dialysis has increased about 15 percent annually.

People with chronic kidney diseases are 20 times more vulnerable to death than normal people, he added.

Dr Asdang Ruay-archin, deputy director-general of Diseases Control Department, said that too much eating of salty food might lead to high blood pressure, heart diseases and kidney diseases.

He stressed the need of a campaign to urge Thai people to east less salty food.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/content/158201


-- Thai PBS 2016-04-05

[thesetat2013]

Good luck with getting Thais to change their cooking without those sauces and pastes. If it's not salty or sweet, Thais snub their noses at it. Besides, isn't this what Thais want to promote to the world? Their delicious foods. So forget that it could make you sick if you eat it everyday. Maipanrai

[tonray]

Thailand is perhaps the greatest marketing opportunity for Blood Pressure drugs in the world. Big Pharma...come on down !

[jaltsc]

"People with chronic kidney diseases are 20 times more vulnerable to death than normal people, he added."

And all this time I thought all of us eventually die.

[daviddabit]

I think eating sugar is the biggest problem in Thailand.. Far more serious than salt ...

[Roomuck]

Sugar, chilli, salt and MSG.

Tastes good. They don't add it for health reasons.

If a Thai is cooking for other people their biggest fear is it will be tasteless.

Enjoy today, we might be dead tomorrow.

Uncooked blaaraa is something I now avoid. Tastes good but a huge chance you will end up with liver fluke. Still like it cooked in Gang Head though.

I am not a control freak, but asked my girlfriend to promise me not to eat it anymore. She doesn't.

Same with my maid, she agreed, but I have caught her out. Only "a little bit" she claims when caught out. She can't help herself.

[blazes]

Sugar, chilli, salt and MSG.

Tastes good. They don't add it for health reasons.

If a Thai is cooking for other people their biggest fear is it will be tasteless.

Enjoy today, we might be dead tomorrow.

Uncooked blaaraa is something I now avoid. Tastes good but a huge chance you will end up with liver fluke. Still like it cooked in Gang Head though.

I am not a control freak, but asked my girlfriend to promise me not to eat it anymore. She doesn't.

Same with my maid, she agreed, but I have caught her out. Only "a little bit" she claims when caught out. She can't help herself.

How nice to hear of a master who takes care of the health of his "maid".

[NextStationBangkok]

Howz that skinny cow girl ride ?

Thai people are relatively healthier than western world!

[johnnysunshine]

Please spare me these out of date articles:

This information is so old once again and in Europe and the Americas, people have begun to realize it is not the quantity but the quality of the salt in question as most natural doctors insist that Himalayan Pink Salt and high quality sea salt are very good for you providing all the trace minerals required for the human body. This magnificent salt lowers blood pressure, assists in detoxing the body, aids in relaxation, and helps with sinus and respiratory issues. I am a testimonial after having drinking everyday for 10.5 years and having heaps of salt on my toast, rice, and other kinds of food daily. I receive so many trace minerals that I cut my nails every other day. My blood pressure is average to low!

I am waiting for the day when conventional doctors (those that mostly go to conventions I guess) admit they do not and did not know there was a marked difference between commercial table salt that ends up on the kitchen table and most restaurants and pure salt that dates back 250,000,000 years from when the earth was mostly sea. Maybe the doctors will admit that margarine is not a good "food product" to consume also.

The pink salt is 85% sodium chloride and 15% minerals whereas the table salt is 97% sodium chloride and the rest are bleaching agents to make it white (and pure 555) and chemical agents additionally to prevent moisture. In BKK and Chiang Mai you can find the pink salt in most supermarkets like Health food stores and Rim Ping and Villa Markets for sale. Also is it being used by many restaurants that also focus on Organic food.

Yes, sugar is another issue but even then, if you use coconut sugar, which purportedly has the lowest glycemic index of all sugars (essentially breaks down in your body the slowest without such a kick) and there again we require a shift in consciousness to understand not all sugar is bad and not all salt is bad. It is the food processors which make it bad.

Amen!

[Pib]

Too salty, too sweet, high cholesterol, but it's Thai food so it's OK.

[billphillips]

No mention in the OP of msg, or Aninomoto as the locals call it. I think that sugar and msg use are extremely high here and salt is hardly ever used in its natural form.

[Jeremy50]

Drinks a lot of water, and sweat out salt through vigorous exercise. Thais do neither of these things. Drinking lots of water would lead to sweating, and we can't have that. There are even people in my gym, who don't work out hard, so that they don't sweat, there is no air-con either.

[sanukjim]

With the obesity of Thailand on the rise(trying to catch up with The US may be) the excess salt makes them more liable for heart attracts and strokes then kidney diseases I would think.

[Shawn0001]

Please spare me these out of date articles:

This information is so old once again and in Europe and the Americas, people have begun to realize it is not the quantity but the quality of the salt in question as most natural doctors insist that Himalayan Pink Salt and high quality sea salt are very good for you providing all the trace minerals required for the human body. This magnificent salt lowers blood pressure, assists in detoxing the body, aids in relaxation, and helps with sinus and respiratory issues. I am a testimonial after having drinking everyday for 10.5 years and having heaps of salt on my toast, rice, and other kinds of food daily. I receive so many trace minerals that I cut my nails every other day. My blood pressure is average to low!

I am waiting for the day when conventional doctors (those that mostly go to conventions I guess) admit they do not and did not know there was a marked difference between commercial table salt that ends up on the kitchen table and most restaurants and pure salt that dates back 250,000,000 years from when the earth was mostly sea. Maybe the doctors will admit that margarine is not a good "food product" to consume also.

The pink salt is 85% sodium chloride and 15% minerals whereas the table salt is 97% sodium chloride and the rest are bleaching agents to make it white (and pure 555) and chemical agents additionally to prevent moisture. In BKK and Chiang Mai you can find the pink salt in most supermarkets like Health food stores and Rim Ping and Villa Markets for sale. Also is it being used by many restaurants that also focus on Organic food.

Yes, sugar is another issue but even then, if you use coconut sugar, which purportedly has the lowest glycemic index of all sugars (essentially breaks down in your body the slowest without such a kick) and there again we require a shift in consciousness to understand not all sugar is bad and not all salt is bad. It is the food processors which make it bad.

Amen!

Your "testimonial" is of course worthless as you are one individual and high salt intake only causes the fluid retention that results in high blood pressure in some people, it is merely a risk rather than a certain consequence. Himalayan salt, being primarily sodium can and will have the same effect as any other intake of sodium of the same levels. There is exactly zero to the bad science you are peddling, the trace elements in this salt are in such small amounts as to be ineffectual, and if they were not they would pose a health risk, it contains lead, mercury, fluoride, bromide, radium, uranium, and polonium, these are not things we want to be consuming, certainly not "trace minerals required by the body" but actually poisons that the body has to work harder to remove or remain locked in the liver and kidneys, but thankfully in the quantities that are contained in this salt they are virtually harmless. Remember, not all minerals are good for us. As for margarine, some is fine, some have already been banned, the "doctors will admit that margarine is not a good food product" came a long time ago, as did our knowledge of the different types of sugar, just don't expect that for salt, it just doesn't work like that, salt is salt whether it is mixed with a load of non essential and poisonous minerals or not. You might care to note the absence of any scientific studies in the favor of Himalayan salt, it is not that they do not want evidence to back up their claims on their own advertising, it is that they really cannot prove it. You have merely been taken by advertising, sorry.

[Shawn0001]

With the obesity of Thailand on the rise(trying to catch up with The US may be) the excess salt makes them more liable for heart attracts and strokes then kidney diseases I would think.

Too much salt impairs the function of the kidneys causing them to remove less water from the body resulting in higher blood pressure ultimately causing other effects such as heart attacks and strokes but the kidney problems come first.

[Shawn0001]

No mention in the OP of msg, or Aninomoto as the locals call it. I think that sugar and msg use are extremely high here and salt is hardly ever used in its natural form.

MSG is a sodium salt, it is no different in this respect to other salts. Salt may not be "used in it's natural form" in the kitchen but it is in the factories that make the sauces they are referring to.

[Shawn0001]

Howz that skinny cow girl ride ?

Thai people are relatively healthier than western world!

Believe it or not, the prostitute you chose is not an effective indicator of Thailand's health.

The adult mortality rate of those aged 15-59 in Thailand is a shockingly high 205 per 1000. Compare that with the UK's 87/1000 or France's 107/1000 or Switzerland's 68/1000 or Sweden's 71/1000, in fact, the closest "Western Country" is the Czech Republic with a rate of 132/1000, still substantially lower than Thailand's, so we can see that there is exactly zero truth in your claim and Thailand is actually "relatively" (not even really sure what you mean by that anyway) less healthy.

[ThaiKneeTim]

Please spare me these out of date articles:

This information is so old once again and in Europe and the Americas, people have begun to realize it is not the quantity but the quality of the salt in question as most natural doctors insist that Himalayan Pink Salt and high quality sea salt are very good for you providing all the trace minerals required for the human body. This magnificent salt lowers blood pressure, assists in detoxing the body, aids in relaxation, and helps with sinus and respiratory issues. I am a testimonial after having drinking everyday for 10.5 years and having heaps of salt on my toast, rice, and other kinds of food daily. I receive so many trace minerals that I cut my nails every other day. My blood pressure is average to low!

I am waiting for the day when conventional doctors (those that mostly go to conventions I guess) admit they do not and did not know there was a marked difference between commercial table salt that ends up on the kitchen table and most restaurants and pure salt that dates back 250,000,000 years from when the earth was mostly sea. Maybe the doctors will admit that margarine is not a good "food product" to consume also.

The pink salt is 85% sodium chloride and 15% minerals whereas the table salt is 97% sodium chloride and the rest are bleaching agents to make it white (and pure 555) and chemical agents additionally to prevent moisture. In BKK and Chiang Mai you can find the pink salt in most supermarkets like Health food stores and Rim Ping and Villa Markets for sale. Also is it being used by many restaurants that also focus on Organic food.

Yes, sugar is another issue but even then, if you use coconut sugar, which purportedly has the lowest glycemic index of all sugars (essentially breaks down in your body the slowest without such a kick) and there again we require a shift in consciousness to understand not all sugar is bad and not all salt is bad. It is the food processors which make it bad.

Amen!

What's a "natural doctor"? Is it one of those doctors that didn't attend a medical school? Bought their PhD through a diploma mill?

Salt, wherever it came from, it purely a flavour enhancer and preserver, there is no dietary need to add salt, we get all we need naturally through a balanced diet.

I will add a single proviso; if you are involved in heavy Labour, or vigorous exercise, and sweat a lot, you may need extra salt as it is lost through sweat. Desalination is as bad for your health as too much salt.

[sawadee1947]

not any news at all. For Westerners it's common sense. Therefore we are cooking at home: organic, no MSG, fresh spices.

[Speedo1968]

The onus is on YOU ! Cook your own food.

[ghworker2010]

I have been saying for years that thai's love their salt. I always ask for it not to be added at restaurants and we dont use it at home as my lovely wife knows I dont like it.

[thaiturkey]

SALT IS AN ESSENTIAL NUTRIENT

It is an important electrolyte, and plays an essential role in controling stomach pH.

People who have low salt levels due to heat stress (especially tourists)are vulnerable to fits, which can be fatal.

When you live in a hot climate, your salt requirement increases, to replace salt lost in sweat.

Salt is self regulating to some extent, as it increases thirst; unabsorbed salt will cause wet faeces....i.e.the squitters.

Excess sugar (and other refined carbohydrates) is far more dangerous, and Type 2 Diabetes is becoming an epidemic. Kidney and Eye diseases are common complications.

MSG is not a salt substitute. It is an organic salt derrived from carbohydrates, and is toxic to the brain and other organs. It is best avoided, or used sparingly.

There is evidence that natural salt is superior, because most minerals share an active uptake mechanism, and an excess of one can cause a shortage of another.

In livestock nutrition we go to a lot of trouble to balance both macro and micro minerals....failure to do so results in both health and economic problems.

Human requirements are very similar, but we tend to be far less precise. The hundreds of toxic additives in processed foods cause further problems.

[macksview]

I have been saying for years that thai's love their salt. I always ask for it not to be added at restaurants and we dont use it at home as my lovely wife knows I dont like it.

too true, the healthiest place for me to eat in thailand, the wifes house.

father in law goes to the kidney clinic monthly, he gets there at 0500 hours to get his number, sometimes number 70 in the list, by 0900 it is packed.

the last 10 years of being told by his daughters too eat healthier and his doctors, he has taken advice.

still smokes like a samut prakan dye factory though.

[goatfarmer]

I think eating sugar is the biggest problem in Thailand.. Far more serious than salt ...

Exactly. Diabetes is the biggest cause of kidney disease and is not the result of consuming salt.

[daviddabit]

I think eating sugar is the biggest problem in Thailand.. Far more serious than salt ...

Exactly. Diabetes is the biggest cause of kidney disease and is not the result of consuming salt.

I once enjoying my Kuey Teow Moo and I saw a girl ordered her Kuey Teow Moo Heng and sit next to me. When her kuey teow came, she took the sugar bottle and started pouring it into her noodle for almost 10seconds... I was really shock... And started to wonder did she order a dessert or kuey teow..

[Roomuck]

Sugar, chilli, salt and MSG.

Tastes good. They don't add it for health reasons.

If a Thai is cooking for other people their biggest fear is it will be tasteless.

Enjoy today, we might be dead tomorrow.

Uncooked blaaraa is something I now avoid. Tastes good but a huge chance you will end up with liver fluke. Still like it cooked in Gang Head though.

I am not a control freak, but asked my girlfriend to promise me not to eat it anymore. She doesn't.

Same with my maid, she agreed, but I have caught her out. Only "a little bit" she claims when caught out. She can't help herself.

How nice to hear of a master who takes care of the health of his "maid".

I assume you are being sarcastic with the "maid"

She refers to herself as "mair barn" which can translate as housewife(which she isn't) or maid. I don't think she suffers from Political Correctness as you seem to. She is not anally retentive.

Would you prefer I called her the"help"? Or do you have any other suggestions.

I also buy her riceberry rice. Better than the white stuff.

[Mudcrab]

[chilli42]

The everyday diet of Thai's is shocking: the sugar, the oils, the salt, deep fried everything, vegetables only a decoration washed down with soft drinks, beer, whiskey and Red Bull. Add to that a poor health care system, at least for the average folk. Life expectancy 75 years vs US 79 years. So I guess if they are happy eating that crap then 4 years seems like a small sacrifice.

[blazes]

Sugar, chilli, salt and MSG.

Tastes good. They don't add it for health reasons.

If a Thai is cooking for other people their biggest fear is it will be tasteless.

Enjoy today, we might be dead tomorrow.

Uncooked blaaraa is something I now avoid. Tastes good but a huge chance you will end up with liver fluke. Still like it cooked in Gang Head though.

I am not a control freak, but asked my girlfriend to promise me not to eat it anymore. She doesn't.

Same with my maid, she agreed, but I have caught her out. Only "a little bit" she claims when caught out. She can't help herself.

How nice to hear of a master who takes care of the health of his "maid".

I assume you are being sarcastic with the "maid"

She refers to herself as "mair barn" which can translate as housewife(which she isn't) or maid. I don't think she suffers from Political Correctness as you seem to. She is not anally retentive.

Would you prefer I called her the"help"? Or do you have any other suggestions.

I also buy her riceberry rice. Better than the white stuff.

No, I wasn't trying to be PC, far from it. No, what I was trying to get at was the "lookatme" syndrome. Look at me, I am hi-so enough to employ a "maid".

I suspect that sort of attitude (even if unconscious in this instance) does not go down well here on ThaiVisa.

Employing a 'maid' is kind of Downton Abbey/Upstairs-Downstairs country.

[billphillips]

No mention in the OP of msg, or Aninomoto as the locals call it. I think that sugar and msg use are extremely high here and salt is hardly ever used in its natural form.

MSG is a sodium salt, it is no different in this respect to other salts. Salt may not be "used in it's natural form" in the kitchen but it is in the factories that make the sauces they are referring to.

Nahh. Well wrong. MSG (mono sodium glutamate) is an illegal food additive in many countries, but not In the LoS. It's imported from Japan as Animotomo. It's available from markets, minimarts and supermarkets throughout Thailand and seen/used in most local kitchens and restaurants. Only a fool (or someone who didn't understand much) would voluntarily use it. It's to be avoided, look it up, or use google and report back to the hundreds of people awaiting your endorsement for the virtues of the product. A close run second to MSG would be processed sugar, again, well overused in the local diet and absolutely poison but by another name.

Good eating.