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Health & nutrition

One dietary recommendation — why does the number differ between countries?

Topic · data as_of 2026-10-13 · six topics, 2,415 records total

50 recordsstructured records in this topic
A-grade 92.0%confidence A share (46/50)
2026-10-12data updated (data.json exported_at)

Key figures

Every figure has its own anchor, source line and as_of — citable on its own.

Four sources, one unit: grams of sodium per dayWHO (global) · tbm-0172.0EFSA (EU) · tbm-1972.0US Dietary Guidelines · tbm-1292.3China Dietary Guidelines · tbm-1262.0Unit: g/day (sodium)
One dietary limit, four sources — why the numbers differ
China's guideline says 'salt under 5 g/day'; WHO (record tbm-017) states that 1 g of sodium ≈ 2.5 g of salt, so 5 g salt ≈ 2.0 g sodium/day. Sodium and salt are two labels for one limit — mixing them up is the most common misreading.
Source: WHO Healthy diet fact sheet · China Dietary Guidelines (2022) · US Dietary Guidelines · EFSA · Trustbase Lab tbm-017 / tbm-197 / tbm-129 / tbm-126 · confidence A
Anchor: #fig-en-sodium · trustbaselab.com/en/health/
Total fat · tbm-01130Saturated fat · tbm-01210Trans fat · tbm-0131Free sugars · tbm-01410Free sugars (ideal) · tbm-0155Unit: % of total energy (upper limit)Salt · tbm-0165Added sugar, China cap · tbm-12650Cooking oil (midpoint) · tbm-12627.5Alcohol, China cap · tbm-12615Unit: g/day
Dietary limits: % of energy and g/day are two different rulers
WHO limits are stated as share of total energy; China's guidelines use grams per day. They cannot be converted onto one axis without assuming daily energy intake — that would be modelling, not citation. Cooking oil is a 25–30 g range; the midpoint is charted.
Source: WHO · China Dietary Guidelines (2022) · Trustbase Lab tbm-011 ~ tbm-016 / tbm-126 · confidence A · as_of 2026-10
Anchor: #fig-en-health-multi · trustbaselab.com/en/health/
IndicatorWHO (global)China Dietary Guidelines (2022)
Salt / sodiumsodium < 2 g/day (≈ 5 g salt)salt ≤ 5 g/day
Sugarsfree sugars < 10% of energy (ideal 5%)added sugar ≤ 50 g/day
Fruit & vegetables≥ 400 g/day (age 10+)vegetables ≥ 300 g + fruit 200–350 g
Grains(no single WHO figure)200–300 g/day (whole grains 50–150 g)
Water(no single WHO figure)men 1,700 ml / women 1,500 ml
Physical activity150–300 min/week moderate≥ 5 days/week + ~6,000 steps/day
WHO and China: the differences are bases, not errors
The two sets do not conflict; they differ in basis. WHO states upper limits, often as share of energy; China's guidelines give ranges, often in grams or millilitres. 'No single WHO figure' is not an omission — WHO gives directional advice there, and we do not turn directions into numbers.
Source: WHO Healthy diet fact sheet · China Dietary Guidelines (2022) · Trustbase Lab tbm-011 ~ tbm-020 / tbm-122 ~ tbm-131 · confidence A · as_of 2026-10
Anchor: #fig-en-health-who-cn · trustbaselab.com/en/health/
China Dietary Guidelines (2022), released 2022-04-26 (tbm-122)1 · Varietyeat a variet…2 · Balancebalance eati…3 · More p…vegetables, …4 · Proteinfish, poultr…5 · Less s…limit sugar …6 · Regula…eat regularl…7 · Cook …cook and cho…8 · Portio…serving chop…
The eight principles of a balanced diet
Verbatim from record tbm-122 (English edition of the guidelines' summary), no rewriting. The guidelines were revised by nearly 100 experts and underpin China's Healthy China Action (2019–2030).
Source: Chinese Nutrition Society · China Dietary Guidelines (2022) · Trustbase Lab tbm-122 · confidence A · as_of 2022-04
Anchor: #fig-en-health-eight · trustbaselab.com/en/health/

Questions practitioners ask

Six real questions; every answer lands on specific records.

How much water should adults drink per day?

China's dietary guidelines: 1,700 ml for men, 1,500 ml for women per day (tbm-127).

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Does cutting sugar mean eating less fruit?

No — 'cut sugar, cut fruit' is a myth this site explicitly corrects (tbm-137).

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Salt under 5 g/day — what about sodium?

Sodium under 2 g/day ≈ salt under 5 g/day; the same limit stated in two ways (tbm-017).

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How many hours of sitting is too many?

WHO only advises reducing sedentary behaviour, without a quantified threshold — we do not invent a number (tbm-121).

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Should everyone switch to low-sodium salt?

Not everyone: WHO (2025) and China (2024) give conditional limits — see the intake records.

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What BMI counts as obese?

WHO: overweight 25.0–29.9, obesity ≥30.0; China: overweight 24 ≤ BMI < 28, obesity ≥28.

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Key numbers

All drawn from structured records; basis in parentheses.

50records in this topic
2.0 gWHO sodium limit per day
5 gChina salt limit per day
400 gWHO fruit & vegetable target per day
150–300moderate activity minutes per week (adults)
7mandatory items in GB 28050-2025
28extractable dietary limits
8principles of a balanced diet

Records

Record IDNameJurisdictionIssuerEffectiveConfidence
tbm-011Total fat intake: less than 30% of total energyInternationalWHO2020A
tbm-012Saturated fat intake: less than 10% of total energyInternationalWHO2020A
tbm-013Trans fat intake: less than 1% of total energyInternationalWHO2020A
tbm-014Free sugars intake: less than 10% of total energyInternationalWHO2020A
tbm-015Free sugars intake (ideal): less than 5% of total enerInternationalWHO2020A
tbm-016Salt intake: less than 5 g per dayInternationalWHO2020A
tbm-017Sodium intake: less than 2 g per dayInternationalWHO2020A
tbm-018Fruit and vegetable intake: at least 400 g per day (ovInternationalWHO2020A
tbm-019Fruit and vegetable intake: 250–350 g per day (under 1InternationalWHO2020A
tbm-020Early life: exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 moInternationalWHO2020A
tbm-116Adults: 150-300 min moderate or 75-150 min vigorous acInternationalWHO2020-11-25A
tbm-117Muscle-strengthening activity: at least 2 days per weeInternationalWHO2020-11-25A

First 12 in record order; all 50 records are retrievable via MCP.

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Trustbase Lab, Health & nutrition (English site, batch E), records tbm-011 … tbm-199 (50 records), as_of 2026-10-13
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Trustbase Lab, Total fat intake: less than 30% of total energy, record ID tbm-011, as_of 2020, confidence A, source: WHO
WHO · Dietary intake limit · Standing recommendation
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Trustbase Lab, Saturated fat intake: less than 10% of total energy, record ID tbm-012, as_of 2020, confidence A, source: WHO
WHO · Dietary intake limit · Standing recommendation
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Trustbase Lab, Trans fat intake: less than 1% of total energy, record ID tbm-013, as_of 2020, confidence A, source: WHO
WHO · Dietary intake limit · Standing recommendation
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