Cardiovascular diseases account for 40 percent of deaths in Europe, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported on Wednesday, while urging Europeans to reduce their salt consumption.
This translates to 10,000 deaths per day, or four million deaths per year.
"Implementing a policy that aims to reduce salt consumption by 25% could save around 900,000 lives from cardiovascular disease by 2030," said WHO Europe Director Hans Kluge in a statement.
In Europe, one in three adults aged 30-79 years suffers from hypertension, which is often caused by high salt intake.
In 51 of the 53 countries in the WHO European Region, the average daily salt intake exceeds the WHO-recommended maximum of five grams or one teaspoon, mainly from processed foods and snacks.
"High salt intake increases blood pressure, which is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and strokes," the WHO stated.
According to the WHO, Europe has the highest prevalence of high blood pressure in the world. Data from the WHO European Region report indicate that men are almost 2.5 times more likely to die from cardiovascular disease than women.
There is also a geographical divide: the probability of dying young (30-69 years) from cardiovascular diseases in Eastern Europe and Central Asia is almost five times higher than in Western Europe.
