Cancer
and heart disease are deadly threats to those who don't watch what they eat.
More than
half of Vietnamese people don't meet the level of fruit and vegetable intake
recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), according to a recent
survey conducted by the Ministry of Health.
The
survey analyzed about 4,000 locals aged from 18 to 69 across the country.
The WHO
says a person should eat at least five servings or 400 grams of fruit and
vegetables per day. However, the survey found that over 57 percent of
Vietnamese are failing to consume the recommended daily intake. According to
the survey, Vietnamese men eat less fruit and vegetables than women.
Five
servings of fruit and vegetables per day can help reduce the risk of cancer,
cardiovascular diseases like heart attacks and strokes, diabetes and other
non-infectious conditions, said Truong Dinh Bac, deputy head of the Preventive
Medicine Department under the Health Ministry.
On top of
that, Vietnamese also eat almost twice the recommended daily allowance of salt.
Researchers
found that the average daily intake in Vietnam is 9.4 grams, while the WHO
advises an adult should have no more than 5 grams of salt per day.
A salty
diet can cause high blood pressure, strokes, stomach cancer, kidney failure,
osteoporosis and other heart diseases.
Overall,
most respondents said they knew eating too much salt is bad for their health,
and about 70 percent said they don't exceed the daily intake of salt. However,
the survey proved that many participants are unaware of the fact that they are
eating too much salt.
Researchers
also analyzed information from participants about how much time they spend
exercising.
The
results showed that about a third of Vietnamese adults do less physical
exercise than the level recommended by the WHO, which says that a person who is
sufficiently active should get at least 150 minutes of moderate physical
activity per week, or 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity.
According
to the study, most respondents meet the recommended level because they have
physically demanding jobs. That means Vietnamese have little involvement in
physical activity during their leisure time such as playing sports.
A lack of
physical activity is the fourth most common cause of deaths as it can increases
the risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and some cancers, said health
experts, adding that it can control weight and prevent non-communicable
diseases.
Vietnam
is grappling with a surge in non-transmissible diseases, said Nguyen Thanh
Long, deputy health minister, adding that medical costs for the treatment of
non-communicable diseases are 40-50 times higher than the costs of infectious
diseases.
Official
statistics show that non-communicable diseases, mostly cardiovascular disease,
cancer and diabetes, cause 73 percent of deaths in Vietnam.
In
Vietnam, about 160,000 people aged between 30 and 70 die of non-communicable
diseases a year.
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