In the wake of World Hypertension Day, LoSalt (the UK’s leading reduced sodium salt) and the World Heart Federation have announced a new partnership. With a shared purpose of reducing incidence of hypertension, the partnership has been formed in a bid to raise consumer awareness, particularly in relation to reducing sodium consumption.
Hypertension, commonly known as high blood pressure, is a global epidemic which affects one in four adults worldwide and is responsible for 10.8 million deaths annually. 1.13 billion people live with hypertension (also known as high blood pressure), yet less than one in five have it under control, with many remaining undiagnosed and untreated.
One way to prevent hypertension is through the reduction of dietary sodium, one of the biggest risk factors, as well as through other lifestyle risk factors such as regular physical activity and reducing the consumption of tobacco and alcohol.
LoSalt® believe that educating the consumer around salt intake is key in improving consumer health – a belief which is embodied by its recently launched public awareness campaign, ‘Season With Sense’.
The partnership between LoSalt® and the World Heart Federation will include three key strands of activity, including development of World Heart Federation hypertension resources, collaboration on the ‘Season With Sense campaign’ and the creation of a Healthcare Professional (HCP) pack – an educational tool for HCPs to promote the benefits of potassium-based salts.
Caroline Klinge, Marketing Director for LoSalt®, said: “At LoSalt®, we have long been flying the flag for salt awareness and the implications of having high blood pressure, so it’s a privilege to be working with the World Heart Federation. With hypertension projected to affect 1.5 billion people globally by 2025, there’s never been a more prominent time to raise awareness.
“There is so much sodium hidden in the foods we eat, that in an ideal world everyone would stop adding salt themselves – be it at home or in a restaurant. Unfortunately, the reality is that people just don’t want to stop using salt altogether and it’s used as a seasoning to enhance the taste of food and help bring out the natural flavours.
“That’s why working with the World Heart Federation is crucial for us to show people that there is an alternative to regular salt and that simple measures such as switching to LoSalt can have a big benefit to overall health and wellbeing. It’s teaching people that small changes don’t need to be difficult, sometimes it’s just simply learning to season with sense.”
Jean-Luc Eiselé, Chief Executive Officer of the World Heart Federation, said: “The aim of this partnership is to use our combined strengths and effectively continue to raise awareness with consumers on the risks that hypertension poses, as well as helping them be more aware of the options available to them.
“The more information people have about the risks they might be taking with their health and how to minimise them, the better equipped we all are to make the right choices for our wellbeing.”
