Eating too much sodium is linked to health problems, such as high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, and kidney disease, and contributes to osteoporosis (sodium increases calcium excretion).
Sodium is the primary electrolyte (mineral) in the fluid part of the blood and around body cells. It is essential for helping the body stay properly hydrated, regulating plasma volume, nerve impulses, and muscle contraction. But sodium is not hard to get in the diet. Most Americans eat twice as much salt as is recommended for good health. The typical American eats about 3,000-5,000 mg of sodium daily, and salt lovers may be getting twice this much! The minimum requirement for sodium is about 500 mg per day. As you can see, people generally eat far too much sodium and need to cut back to less than 2,300 mg/day (less than 1,500 mg/day if you are 50 years old or older, have high blood pressure, or are African American).
As salt (sodium) intake goes up in a nation, so does the risk for high blood pressure, early heart attacks, stroke, and early death. New research published in the New England Journal of Medicine estimated the benefit to the health of our nation if we simply reduced salt intake by half (decreasing sodium intake by1,200 mg/day). The recommended intake for sodium is less than 2,300 mg/day for healthy young individuals, or less than 1,500 mg/day for persons 50 and older, African-Americans, and individuals with elevated blood pressure (120/80 or higher), or persons at increased risk for high blood pressure (obese, inactive, or a family history of high blood pressure).- New cases of coronary heart disease would decrease by 60,000 per year.
- Strokes would decrease by 32,000 per year.
- Heart attacks would decrease by 54,000 per year.
- Deaths from any cause would decrease by 44,000 every year.
These are conservative estimates, the researchers explained – actual increases may be twice these figures. These are large numbers of preventable death from making such a small change in the American diet.
The problem is not just taking the salt shaker off the table, although that would be a good start. The real problem is that 75 percent of the sodium eaten is added by the food manufacturers. If we want to solve this problem globally, food manufactures should gradually decrease the amount of salt added to food. If it was done gradually, most people would never know the difference because salt is an acquired taste, and your taste changes when the intake is reduced if it is done gradually.
In the mean time, read food labels. About three-fourths of the sodium in the diet comes from processed foods, added by the food companies. If you choose unprocessed foods, they are very low in sodium, usually only 1-10 mg/serving. Read food labels to see how much salt has been added to foods.
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Eat more fresh food than canned or processed foods. Avoid or greatly limit salty foods (100+ mg of sodium per serving). Eat fewer salty foods, such as chips, pretzels, pickles, canned soups and canned vegetables, soy sauce, gravies, salad dressing, catsup, and processed foods. Use less salt in your cooking and at the table. Your heart and arteries will thank you and you'll go a long ways to living a healthier, longer life. In fact, the estimate is that this reduction in salt would add another 194,000 quality-adjusted-life-years to Americans and reduce healthcare costs by $10 billion dollars each year.
Sodium Content of Common Foods- Table salt , 1 tsp – 2358 mg
- Pickles, dill, 1 large – 1731 mg
- Canned chicken soup, 1 cup – 850 mg
- Pizza, 1 piece – 800 mg
- Sauerkraut, 1/2 cup – 780 mg
- Pretzels, 1 oz – 486 mg
- Cottage cheese, 1/2 cup – 459 mg
- Sardines, 3 oz – 429 mg
- Deli ham, 1 oz – 341 mg
- Deli turkey breast, 1 oz – 335 mg
- Soy sauce, 1 tsp – 304 mg
- Cheese, American, 1 oz – 304 mg
- Cornflakes, 1 cup – 298 mg
- Olives, black, 5 large – 192 mg
- Deli bologna – 295 mg
- Potato chips, 1 oz – 183 mg
Recommended intake less than 2,300 mg/day; less than 1,500 mg/day if you are age 50 or older, if your blood pressure is elevated (120/80+), or you are African American.
The bottom line: To be healthier and cut your risk of health problems, limit salt intake. Research shows that you will live longer if you do.
New England Journal of Medicine. 2010;362(7):590-599.
USDA. Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Website accessed Feb. 2010.
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