How high salt intake is quietly fuelling hypertension, deaths in Nigeria 

When  Imoleayo Folarin, Abuja-based mother of two, walked into the hospital for a routine antenatal check-up during her second pregnancy, she had no idea she was minutes away from being admitted for a dangerously high blood pressure which had soared to a llife-threatening210/170.

Folarin had noticed she was gaining weight rapidly, but friends and family brushed it off as normal pregnancy changes. “I went from a size 8 16, and then my shoe size went from a 37 to like a 40, and people kept on telling me, ‘it’s normal, second pregnancy is different,” Folarin said while recounting her experience with journalists at a media training on sodium intake in Abuja.

About a week of hospitalisation, Folarin recounted how she awoke to more devastating news: her baby’s heartbeat could no longer be detected. Folarin had lost her baby.

Doctors earlier noticed signs of preeclampsia, a pregnancy complication characterised by high blood pressure. Tests also showed protein in her brain.

It was later found that her health complication was linked to a long-ignored culprit in the average Nigerian home: salt, more specifically, sodium—hidden in everything from seasoning cubes to processed foods, to store-bought spices, and even snacks for children.

In the aftermath, Folarin was recommended a strict low-sodium diet, nd she began discovering just how much salt hides in everyday Nigerian foods. The trauma of losing her second child in 2022 was an experience that forced her to overhaul her family’s diet.

“I had to completely overhaul my family’s diet. My own experience cost me, so I always tell people, don’t wait for something to happen, because it then becomes more difficult. You can at your own pace right now begin to adjust salt intake”, she urged.

Folarin’s story highlights a growing public health concern in Nigeria: the silent and often invisible impact of excessive sodium intake on cardiovascular health.

Understanding Sodium and the Risk

Sodium is an essential nutrient in the human body. It is present in body fluid and surrounding cells.  The primary source of sodium in the diet is common table salt, also known as sodium chloride, which is composed of 40% sodium and 60% chloride.

Unprocessed foods contain natural sodium in very small amounts (e.g milk, meat, fish, poultry and eggs, some vegetables)

Bukola Olukemi-Odele, Nutrition Officer, CAPPA, speaking at the media training organised by Centre for Communications and Social Impact (CCSI), explained that sodium helps maintain blood pressure and cardiovascular health, regulates and maintains fluid balance, regulates and maintains acid-base balance, and maintains normal nerve and muscle function.

She, however, noted that the human body only needs tiny amounts (200 to 500 milligrams) of sodium to function optimally, but most Nigerians consume far more salt and sodium than required, which can be harmful.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), excessive sodium intake is a leading risk factor for hypertension and cardiovascular disease. The global health body recommends no more than 5 grams of salt per day— one levelled teaspoon. Yet Nigerians, on average, consume far more, largely unaware of how much sodium lurks in their daily meals, especially through processed foods and local street snacks.

Olukemi-Odele, disclosed that most salt/sodium in the diet is hidden in condiments such as seasoning cubes (bouillon); MSG  Preservatives, baking soda, and other food additives; Processed foods such as ketchup, BBQ sauce, salad dressings, frozen foods processed meat;  Street food such as Suya, Kilishi, etc; Restaurant foods and snacks.

A Costly Burden on Lives and Livelihoods

The nutrition officer stressed that high salt intake is linked to increased blood pressure (hypertension), the leading cause of cardiovascular disease in Nigeria, and other diet-related NCDs.

She revealed that Nigeria records an average daily salt consumption ranging between 2.8g to 10c g per day (about double the WHO recommendations).

Economically, the officer said too much salt can drive people into poverty due to high-cost treatment and could lead to death.

But many Nigerians are not aware of high sodium intake and its risks. The Nigerian Sodium Study and Public Perception Findings, led by the University of Abuja
revealed widespread public ignorance regarding hidden sodium sources in food and a general lack of understanding of nutritional labels.

It found that only a small portion of Nigerians read or comprehend food labels.

Experts at the training session proffered some strategies to tackle this burden, which include: front-of-pack labelling of nutrients of concern -sugar, salt, fat, maximum limits for sodium in food;  Ban/restriction of advertising on high-salt-containing foods, and  Fiscal policies on food high in sodium.

They noted that 1.6 million lives could be saved each year by reducing sodium intake by 30%, while highlighting that salt reduction is one of the most cost-effective public health interventions.

Nigeria’s National Multisectoral Action Plan for NCDs (2019–2025) set a national goal to reduce salt consumption by 30% by 2025.  Femi Stephen, Food Safety Lead at the Federal Ministry of Health, while highlighting the government’s efforts, noted the launch of the Nigeria Sodium Reduction Guideline.

He said the guideline is modelled after WHO’s SHAKE package, a global strategy for reducing salt intake.  Stephen described the approach as a potential “game-changer” for Nigeria’s food safety system.