Thai People’s Love of Salty Food Responsible For High Kidney Disease Rates, Officials Warn

December 9, 2016

Thai people have incorporated so much salt in their diet that they have developed an alarming rate of kidney disease.

Earlier this year, Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health revealed that over 8 million Thais suffer from chronic kidney disease. To address the issue, local groups are now campaigning to urge Thai people to reduce their salt intake. The findings also revealed that half of those patients are also suffering from diabetes and high blood pressure.

The Low Salt Thailand Network, in collaboration with ThaiHealth, is now aiming to reduce the intake of salt in the country by 30 % to comply with the limit set by the World Health Organization, Thai News Bureau reported (via Coconuts Bangkok).

According to Dr. Kriangsak Warisangthip, president of the Nephrology Society of Thailand, the issue of kidney disease is an international concern. A lot of people don’t realize that they may already have the disease because it often has no symptoms and can go undetected until it is very advanced, the doctor explained.

Once a person develops kidney disease, continuous treatment is required. Procedures such as dialysis treatments may require treatment over several days each week and is often very expensive.

Most patients who don’t receive treatments due to poverty end up dying from the disease which is why taking the necessary precautions to prevent the disease is very important.

The Low Salt Thailand Network recommends that people get at least an annual medical check-up and refrain from eating fast food, frozen food, and semi-instant food to stay away from kidney diseases.

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