Many Americans have a love affair with the salt shaker, consuming much more than their recommended daily sodium allotment. While sodium is essential, a healthy diet satisfies most people's needs. Table salt is made up of 40 percent sodium and 60 percent chloride. Normally excess sodium is excreted through the kidneys, but in some people, excess sodium can increase health risks.
Requirements
The adequate intake set by the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine published by the Linus Pauling Institute describes the amount of sodium needed to prevent deficiencies in healthy and moderately active individuals. Children and adults age 9 to 50 need 1,500 mg of sodium; between age 51 and 70, the daily requirement drops to 1,300 mg. Adults over age 71 need only 1,200 mg. Children aged 1 to 3 need just 1,000 mg per day. Infants, who cannot usually reach the salt shaker, need just 126 mg between the ages of birth and 6 months and 370 mg between 6 and 12 months.
Average Intake
Thanks to the large amounts of sodium used in processed foods, most Americans manage to consume a whopping 3,000 to 4,000 mg per day, Harvard Health Publications reports. Sodium is used not just as a flavoring but also as a preservative. The American Heart Association recommends limiting sodium intake to 1,500 mg per day if possible. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends an intake of no more than 2,300 mg per day and 1,500 mg per day for people with kidney disease or diabetes, as well as African-Americans and middle-aged or older people.
Risks
An excess intake is more harmful to some people than others. People under age 50 with normal blood pressure and no health issues may not need to worry about their sodium intake, Harvard Health Publications reports. People with high blood pressure should watch their sodium, since sodium can lead to water retention. Water retention leads to increase blood volume, which increases the heart's workload and increases the force the heart must exert to pump the increased blood volume. High blood pressure damages the blood vessels, which can lead to heart disease. A 2004 Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews study reported on the benefits of restricting sodium intake to 1,700 to 1,800 mg per day in people with and without hypertension. In hypertensives, mean systolic blood pressure dropped 4.97 mmHg and mean diastolic pressure dropped 2.74 mmHg.
Cutting Down
Choosing fresh foods rather than processed foods will decrease your sodium intake. Most recipes can handle a salt reduction, with the exception of baked goods, which may need the sodium indicated for not just taste but also quality. There's no need to add salt to table foods, although it can take time to retrain your taste buds to appreciate food without added salt. Cut back gradually, starting with no more than 1/4 tsp. of salt daily and decreasing each day.
References
- MayoClinic.com; Sodium: How to Tame Your Salt Habit Now; May 2010
- Harvard Health Publications; Water, Sodium & Potassium: Guidelines to Water, Sodium & Potassium Intake; April 2004
- Harvard Health Publications; Watching Daily Sodium Intake Is Important for Some; November 2006
- Colorado State University Extension; Sodium in the Diet; May 2010
- Linus Pauling Institute; Sodium; Jane Higdon, Ph.D; February 2004
- Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews; Effect of Longer-term Modest Salt Reduction on Blood Pressure; F. He; 2004
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