Skip to main content
  • Eng
  • සිංහල
  • தமிழ்
  • Search
  • AIA Sri Lanka
  • Our Products
    • Savings
    • Retirement
    • Protection
    • Health
  • Life Challenges
    • Planning for retirement
    • Managing health issues
    • Higher education for my child
    • What Matters
  • About AIA
    • Our Commitments
    • Our People
    • Customer Relationships
    • Our Wealth Planners
    • Accolades
    • Media Centre
    • Careers
    • Our Partnerships
  • Help & Support
    • Premium Payment Options
    • Branch Network
    • Customer Complaints
    • AIA Sri Lanka Customer Complaints Handling Procedure
    • Hospital Network
  • MY AIA
    • AIA Customer Portal
AIA
  • Our Products

    Our Products

    Find our products and services according to your protection and wealth management range needs

    See more

    For Individuals

    • Savings

      We have the solutions to help you live the dream you wish and protect the ones you care

    • Retirement

      it's about time you thought about your happiness and aspirations.

    • Protection

      We care about your family's well being as much as you do

    • Health

      The best care for you and your family.

  • Life Challenges

    Life Challenges

    What matters to you most?

    View all life challenges
    • Planning for retirement

      Life after a career can be a scary thought

    • Managing health issues

      Do Sri Lankans face unique health challenges?

    • Higher education for my child

      Earning a degree remains a difficult hurdle for many Sri Lankans

    • What Matters

      Information and resources to help you make wise investment decisions and healthy lifestyle changes.

  • About AIA

    About AIA

    For almost a century, AIA has served the ever-changing needs of millions of people all across the Asia-Pacific region.

    More about AIA
    • Our Commitments

      Our initiatives are nationally relevant and contribute meaningfully to the well-being of the community.

    • Our People

      The leaders of AIA in Sri Lanka

    • Customer Relationships

      Creating a unique customer experience

    • Our Wealth Planners

      We all have hopes and dreams for the future

    • Accolades

      Proof of our competence and good governance

    • Media Centre

      New and Information about AIA

    • Careers

      Interested to join our AIA family? Look for a role that suits you.

    • Our Partnerships

  • Help & Support

    Help & Support

    We strive to assist you for all your inquiries with high touch customer service.

    Contact AIA
    • Premium Payment Options

    • Branch Network

      You are welcome at any branch

    • Customer Complaints

      going further to understand and meet customer needs

    • AIA Sri Lanka Customer Complaints Handling Procedure

    • Hospital Network

  • MY AIA

    AIA Customer Portal

    Login or register to access and manage all your policies, claims and more.

      Customer
    • AIA Customer Portal

    My AIA

    Access to the portals of your choice.

      Customer
    • AIA eInsurance Portal

  • Language Select
    • Eng
    • සිංහල
    • தமிழ்
  • Search
  • Contact Us
    • CALL US

      Open: 8:00am to 5:00pm, Mon - Fri

    • Email Us

      We will contact you in your preferred way

Health & Wellness
Prev | Next
Get In Touch
Back to Top
  • {{title}}

    {{label}}
  • Too much salt in our diet can lead to cancer – here’s why you should cut down

    22 February 2022

    is it time to quit smoking?
    Adding salt to a dish is so fundamental to us in cooking but given the higher rates of cancer associated with salt, we need to take a step back and re-think the usage of salt.

    Salt has increasingly been identified as a possible cause of stomach cancers, more so in communities that rely on salt as a preservative and a food additive.

    According to the American Institute of Cancer Research, a higher intake of salt can lead to stomach cancers since too much salt damages the lining of the stomach.

    Stomach cancer is known to be among the top three deadliest cancers and the fifth most common cancer globally. Stomach cancer comes with very few symptoms but experts believe that with lifestyle and diet changes, it can be prevented easily.[1]

    World Cancer Research Fund International states that cured meat, fish and vegetables with higher degree of salt can cause stomach cancers, citing evidence from countries such as Japan and Korea where salting of food is often used.

    Cutting down on the salt consumption over time can result in reduction of stomach cancer rates, according to the World Cancer Research Fund.

    The World Health Organization recommends an intake of 05g (01 teaspoon) of salt per day. However, with the increasing usage of processed foods, there are more people consuming foods that contain a higher amount of salt.

    In Sri Lanka, where salt intake is double the recommended average daily consumption rate[2] of 05g (01 teaspoon), the health sector has actively encouraged people to reduce their daily salt intake.

    Sri Lanka maintains a National Salt Reduction Strategy that targets a reduction of 30% of the salt intake by 2025. The initiatives call upon the community to make significant changes and has undertaken an awareness campaign as well.[3]

    The intake of salt is also based on taste preferences. If you can choose to reduce your intake of salt over a time period, your taste buds would get used to the low salt levels, enabling you to make meaningful dietary changes.

    The best outcome would be for us to reduce salt intake in our daily diet. It can easily be done with gradual but important changes, some of which are given below.

    -          Choose other seasoning options such as spices, garlic and lime – they contain phytonutrients that actually fight cancers.

    -          Use fresh ingredients for meals, minimizing the use of salt as a preservative.

    -          Don’t add salt to rice when it is being cooked. The salt of the other dishes can complement the rice.

    -          Make your own salad dressings and seasons without using the readymade mixes which often contain a lot of salt.

    -          Try to avoid products that contain 200mg of salt per serving.

    -          Be mindful of salt levels when eating out.

    -          Always add less salt to your cooking – if not adequate, you can add a little more later.

    -          Try to reduce the amount of salt you use in cooking over time.


    References

    1. https://www.wcrf.org/salt-shaking-up-the-link-with-stomach-cancer/

    2. https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.07.25.20162081v1.full

    3. https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.07.25.20162081v1.full

     

    +94 11 2310310

    AIA Tower, 92, Dharmapala Mawatha
    Colombo 07
    Sri Lanka.

    Fax : (+94) 11 4715892

    Email : lk.info@aia.com

     

    Contact AIA

    +94 11 2310310
     

    AIA Tower, 92, Dharmapala Mawatha
    Colombo 07
    Sri Lanka.

    Fax : (+94) 11 4715892

    Email : lk.info@aia.com

    go to

    AIA.COM

    Visit our corporate site to learn more about AIA.

    explore aia

    Our Products

    How to lodge a complaint

    About AIA

    Media Centre
    Careers

    GO TO

    AIA.COM

    Visit our corporate site to learn more about AIA.

    Explore AIA

    Our Products

    How to lodge a complaint

    About AIA

    Media Centre
    Careers

    Copyright © 2016, AIA Group Limited and its subsidiaries. All rights reserved.
    Terms of Use | AIA personal data policy (Sri Lanka) | Cookie Policy

    This website uses cookies for the purpose of enhancing your user experience. You can find more information on the types of cookies we collect, what we use these for, and how to manage your cookie settings in our Cookie Policy and Privacy Statement .