Koreans consume too much salt

By Bae Ji-sook

For his typical lunchtime meal, 30-year-old office worker Lee Sung-jin chooses doenjang jjigae (soybean paste soup), and for dinner, soondae, kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew), alongside a glass of Korean distilled liquor, soju.

“The similar pattern repeats about three to four days a week,” he said, adding that he believes many salaried workers are not much different in their eating habits.

Lee needs to change his food choices or he may face serious health problems in the near future, the Ministry of Health and Welfare warns. In a report on the latest analysis of the nutritious status of Koreans, the ministry said Monday that the sodium intake for males is reaching dangerous levels.

The administration surveyed 10,533 people from 4,000 households nationwide and found that the average intake of sodium of adult men was three times the government and the World Health Organization’s guideline of 4.7 grams of salt.

It is equivalent to about 1 gram of sodium.

Women’s intake was about 2.7 times higher.

This is the 12th year the figure has exceeded the international guideline by more than 300 percent. The survey first kicked off in 1998.

“Korean meals are generally considered healthy because the main ingredients are vegetables and use the fermentation process, which creates lots of lactobacillus. However, kimchi, deonjang, soy sauce and many other base ingredients contain a lot of sodium for long-term preservation,” said ministry official Kim Yeong-taek. “Moreover, Koreans love broth and soup, which is even worse in sodium intake.”

Sodium is known to be linked with various illnesses including renal failure, hypertension and diabetes.

The ministry’s latest report showed that 31.3 percent of the respondents had risks of developing obesity, 30.7 percent hypertension and 9.6 percent diabetes. About 11.4 percent had high cholesterol levels.

The government has been campaigning for over a decade to raise the awareness for sodium intake but to no avail.

Another problem is the level of stress people endure.

About 31.5 percent said they are stressed for various reasons, far higher than 27.5 percent in 2007. “Women could be more stressed or are more sensitive to the mental condition,” Kim said.

On the other hand, more people are keen on looking after their health. About 17.8 percent said they exercise for more than 20 minutes per session, three times a week. The figure is about a 0.7 percentage point rise from a year ago.

Also, the portion of people those who skip breakfast dropped to 20.6 percent from 21.5 percent a year ago.