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Sneaky Salt Many Americans don't realize the main sources of dietary sodium, a new study says 
Salt's effects on health are well documented, but the most common source of dietary sodium is one diners can't control at the table. The average American gets 70 percent of his or her salt intake from processed foods, but new research offers incentive to lowering sodium intakes: reducing consumption to recommended levels could result in 11.1 million fewer cases of high blood pressure each year and reduce health care costs by as much as $18 billion, say researchers led by Kartika Palar, a doctoral fellow at Pardee RAND Graduate School. The maximum daily sodium recommendation is 2,300 milligrams, but the average eater consumes 1,100 more than that, the study says. Data for the research was culled from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, conducted from 1999 to 2004. The study appears in American Journal of Health Promotion. So while some concerned diners scrupulously count grains of salt before adding them to their food, they would be better served by choosing reduced-sodium products or, better yet, picking fresh fruits and vegetables along with meats and grains and cooking them themselves. However, assuming Americans' eating habits won't change overnight, some doctors think studies like this one may lead to a shift in public policy. "Policy interventions that target processed and restaurant foods, which account for the majority of average sodium intake in the U.S. - not salt added at the table - may be especially promising," Palar said. Dr. Jasminka Ilich, a professor at Florida State University, Tallahassee, says that such an undertaking would be tough but positive. "Sodium is present in all foods, but most abundantly in processed foods," she says. "Therefore, there isn't much leverage in reducing table salt or added salt during cooking." The most efficient approach to effective change, Dr. Ilich says, would be to teach the public to read labels and to substitute or avoid salt-laden foods. |
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