Sodium intake and sources in Nigerian adults
What it found
Nigerian adults in three states ate nearly twice the recommended daily sodium, mostly from salt and salty seasonings added at home.
The study measured sodium in 537 people using four dietary recalls and 24-hour urine samples.
What they found
Studies in people
Daily sodium intake
The weighted median daily sodium intake was 3,876 mg per day. This is nearly twice the World Health Organization recommended limit of 2,000 mg per day.
Main sodium sources
About 62.1% of sodium came from discretionary sources like salt and salty seasonings added during cooking or at the table. Salt added during cooking was the largest single contributor at 25.7%, followed by bouillon at 22.7%.
Sodium from street food
Street food provided 24.0% of sodium overall. In Ogun state, street food was the highest source, contributing 35.9% for males and 34.2% for females.
Differences by sex and state
Males reported higher sodium intake than females (3,832 versus 3,515 mg per day). Sodium intake was highest in Kano (4,087 mg per day), followed by Ogun (3,523 mg per day) and the Federal Capital Territory (3,354 mg per day).
Age and sodium intake
Participants aged 60 to 69 years had lower daily sodium intake compared with those aged 30 to 44 years. The adjusted difference was -332.8 mg per day.
Urine sodium levels
The weighted median sodium excretion in 24-hour urine was 3,170 mg per day. This was similar between males and females.
What the authors conclude
“Adults in the Federal Capital Territory, Kano State, and Ogun State consume nearly two times the recommended level of dietary sodium recommended by the World Health Organization, largely from home cooked foods, nearly two-thirds of which comes from discretionary sources.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say adults in these three states consume nearly twice the recommended level of dietary sodium, largely from home cooked foods and discretionary sources.
- They advise that these findings have important policy implications for implementing the SHAKE package, including promoting potassium-enriched salts and bouillon.
- They call for targeted interventions to reduce excessive sodium intake and increase potassium intake to tackle hypertension and related diseases in Nigeria.
How it was done
Nigeria wants to cut excessive sodium intake to tackle high blood pressure and related diseases. The authors wanted to find out where sodium in Nigerian diets comes from to guide national policy.
They recruited 537 adults aged 18 to 69 from the Federal Capital Territory, Kano, and Ogun states between June and July 2023. Most participants completed four 24-hour dietary recalls over one to two weeks, and some provided a 24-hour urine sample.
What it can’t tell you
- This study only included adults from three of Nigeria's 36 states, so the results may not apply to the whole country.
- The data were collected over two months, so they may not reflect seasonal changes in diet.
- The study measured sodium intake at one point in time, so it cannot show cause and effect between sodium and health outcomes.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by NHLBI NIH HHS (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- Declarations. Competing interests: MDH has received travel support from the World Heart Federation and consulting fees from PwC Switzerland. MDH has an appointment at The George Institute for Global Health, which has a patent, license, and has received investment funding with intent to commercialize fixed-dose combination therapy through its social enterprise business, George Medicines. MDH has pending patents for heart failure polypills. The other authors have no relationships with industry to disclose. Consent to participate: All participants provided written informed consent. Ethics approval: The institutional review boards at University of Abuja, Northwestern University, and University of New South Wales approved the study procedures in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Disclaimer: The views expressed in this manuscript are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; the National Institutes of Health; or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
- Authors work at
- University School of Medicine, USA; University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Nigeria; Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, USA
The paper
- Title
- Dietary sources of sodium intake in nigerian adults: A population-based cross-sectional study
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Okoro CE, Jamro EL, Orji AI, et al (2025). Dietary sources of sodium intake in nigerian adults: A population-based cross-sectional study. Scientific reports. doi:10.1038/s41598-025-23828-9Free full textPubMed 41249787DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error