Americans are still eating too much sodium, according to a new study

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Despite counseling from physicians, too much salt and sodium is still being consumed by the American population.
Excessive sodium intake, from table salt and processed foods, is a major risk factor for high blood pressure, stroke, and heart disease. A team at the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Promotion now says that Americans continue to eat too much sodium for their health.

They looked at dietary intake for a group of more than 4,000 Americans in a regular Government health survey. Forty two per cent already had high blood pressure and their average sodium intake was 3,300 milligrams of sodium a day. Those without high blood pressure had a slightly higher intake of 3,600 milligrams a day.

Some of these individuals were aware of the problems of excessive sodium because their physicians had advised them about it. But there was no real difference in sodium intake between those who had received such counseling and those who had not. Clearly, more than advice is needed. Maybe more education is needed on selection, preparing and use of processed and fast foods. For example, foods high in sodium do not always taste salty - a doughnut can contain as much as 10 per cent of the daily recommended sodium intake but this may not be widely known.

Source
American Journal of Preventive Medicine December 2005

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