

Cut the Salt


“It could prevent up to 92,000 deaths and 66,000 strokes every year. It could keep up to 99,000 Americans from having a heart attack and up to 120,000 others from getting heart disease every year. And it could save $10 to $24 billion in health care costs every year.” So begins an informative article from the Center for Science in the Public Interest.  Of course, they must mean what could be achieved by decreasing tobacco abuse. Everyone knows how harmful that addiction is to our health.

No, it is a warning about something more insidious and ubiquitous that affects all of us–sodium. The article goes on to state that this is “what we could save by cutting 1,200 milligrams of sodium out of the average American diet.” These figures are derived from calculating the immense impact sodium has on increasing blood pressure. According to a 2005 Institute of Medicine report, high blood pressure is responsible for one in six deaths in this country. However, sodium’s reach also extends to direct toxic effects on the heart, blood vessels, kidneys and bones, even when blood pressure is controlled. In addition, eating less salt also improves the effectiveness of blood pressure medications in those who require them.

Prevention is truly the key in avoiding the morbidity of these conditions, and the amount of sodium you consume is a factor you can control. Currently, 90% of Americans will develop high blood pressure, measured as at least 140 over 90. Research implicates long term exposure to excessive dietary sodium as a major factor in this epidemic. Unfortunately, blood pressure consistently over 120 over 80, found in about one third of Americans, is also associated with increased risk. The message could not be clearer.salt shaker

The average American male consumes more than 4,000 milligrams of sodium, and the average American female takes in around 3,000 milligrams, per day. Recommended levels of intake for middle-aged or older adults, African-Americans (a group that tends to be more salt-sensitive), or individuals with established hypertension is less than 1,500 milligrams per day. The current advice is that the remaining 30% of the population can aim for 2,300 milligrams per day. I recommend not more than 1,000 mg per day for those with diagnosed hypertension, especially if there is associated heart or kidney disease. Unless you are eating a completely whole foods, unprocessed diet with no added salt, you may find cutting your sodium intake a significant challenge in our food-industry dependent culture.

Packaged foods and restaurant meals are responsible for 75 to 80% of the sodium in our diets. One teaspoon of salt contains approximately 2,400 milligrams of sodium. As consumers we need to carefully read labels and menus, make conscious decisions to limit additional sodium in our food preparation (see Low Sodium Diet article), eat plenty of fruits and vegetables to supply beneficial potassium, and ask restaurant chefs if a meal can be prepared without salt. And, because sodium has a cumulative effect on our health, we need to instill these habits in our children. Petitioning our government (see FDA statement for consumers) and food industries to attend to this health crisis would be another constructive step. The following is a useful summary provided by the USDA. Be well.



Ann Carey Tobin, MD

Comments are closed.