(Yicai Global) July 16 -- Chinese adults consume over twice as much salt a day as the World Health Organization advises is the daily limit, according to a new study.

Researchers at Queen Mary University of London looked at publicly available data on 26,000 adults and 900 children and found that they consumed an average of more than 10 grams a day of salt over the past four decades. There was also a difference between the north and south of the country.

Northerners eat 11.2 grams a day on average, down from 12.8 grams in the 1980s, thanks mainly to government efforts at raising awareness. But southerners increased their intake to 10.2 grams from 8.8 grams, probably because of processed foods and dining out, according to the study.

Most of the salt is consumed in home cooking, but as processed foods, street foods, restaurants and fast food chains become increasingly popular, Chinese people must pay more attention to the salt levels in these foods, said Prof. Feng J He, one of the report's co-authors. 

Excessive intake can cause high blood pressure and about 40 percent of deaths among Chinese was due to strokes or heart disease caused by elevated blood pressure, according to statistics.

The Chinese government yesterday issued new guidelines -- the Healthy China 2030 initiative -- which proposes to curb major chronic disease incidence, promotes reasonable diet and encourages all of society to reduce salt, oil and sugar intake.