For many Filipinos, a simple habit of reaching for salty food may seem harmless. But health experts warn that excessive sodium intake is one of the risk factors that can contribute to kidney disease, a condition affecting millions of people worldwide.

The challenge is reflected in figures from the World Health Organization, which estimates that 674 million people are living with chronic kidney disease (CKD) globally.

In the Philippines, the burden of kidney disease continues to grow, wherein one Filipino develops kidney disease every hour.

Against this backdrop, the Philippine Society of Nephrology gathered healthcare workers, advocates, survivors, families and caregivers of patients with kidney complications at St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City for the “Iwas Alat, Iwas Sakit” Lay Forum in celebration of National Kidney Month.

Among the forum’s speakers was Nutrition Center of the Philippines (NCP) executive director Dr. Mary Christine Castro, who shared the most practical ways to protect kidney health through reducing sodium consumption.

Checking sodium content in food items

Dr. Castro presented data from the 2018–2019 Philippine National Nutrition Survey, which revealed the percentage of Filipino households most consumed food items.

“Salt ranks the highest, [followed by] soy sauce at 34 percent, MSG or vetsin, seasoning mix, sardines and iodized salt,” she said, noting that the mentioned items are among the top 30 most consumed food items by Filipinos.

According to Castro, most of the sodium in the Filipino diet comes from food condiments such as dipping sauces and gravy, as well as seasonings and processed foods, which prompted the importance of checking sodium content on food items.

To illustrate how quickly sodium intake can accumulate, Castro cited a seasoning mix whose nutrition label showed that a single teaspoon serving contains 260 milligrams of sodium, accounting for 11 percent of the recommended daily value.