During an umbilical cord test conducted in Sri Lanka for the first time in the world it was revealed that excess consumption of salt and oily foods by soon-to-be mothers could cause their unborn children to develop non-communicable diseases such as heart disease before they are born, the Health Ministry said today.

Health Ministry Acting Secretary Dr. Palitha Mahipala said this discovery was made by a World Health Organisation (WHO) approved expert medical panel which recently concluded tests on Sri Lankan food consumption patterns and NCD’s including cardiovascular disease which are rising in the country.

He said the tests by the expert medical panel also revealed that despite being an island nation surrounded by fresh sea food supplies, Sri Lankans did not consume adequate quantities of sea food which contributed further to cardiovascular disease among Sri Lankans. It was also found that although the life expectancy rate in Sri Lanka was 71 years, there was a rapidly rising rate of cardiovascular disease as well.

The panel headed by Prof. Yukio Yamori, presented a medical report on their findings to the ministry recently. In Sri Lanka some 350 people die due to NCD’s out of which 150 deaths are due to cardiovascular disease.  The most common NCD’s in Sri Lanka are cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and respiratory disease. (Olindhi Jayasundere)