Low-sodium diets are popularly recommended to reduce the risk of heart disease and other cardiovascular conditions. However, individuals who are at higher risk of these diseases are advised to more stringently reduce foods high in sodium. Heart disease is more common in men than women. Men are also more likely to develop high blood pressure and other chronic cardiovascular problems at an earlier age. Decreasing sodium intake and reducing other risk factors is particularly important for men.
The Effect of Sodium on the Body
Eating too much salt, which contains sodium in the form of sodium chloride, can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease. This occurs because excess sodium causes the body to retain more water in an attempt to wash out the salt. This leads to an increased blood volume that increases blood pressure. Hypertension or high blood pressure means the pressure of the blood pumped into the arteries is higher than normal, causing stress on both the heart and blood vessels and increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Recommended Daily Intake of Sodium
Sodium is a mineral that is also naturally found in foods and is a part of everyone's diet. Sodium is needed in balanced amounts for healthy body function. The Harvard School of Medicine says that the minimum daily recommended intake of sodium is only 1,500 mg, which is approximately 1 tsp. of table salt. The maximum recommended amount of sodium is 2,300 mg per day, but most men in the U.S. consume 3,100 to 4,700 mg of sodium a day.
How to Reduce Sodium Intake
Sodium is a mineral that occurs naturally in foods and is most commonly ingested as salt. Other forms of sodium include monosodium glutamate, or MSG, which is often added to Chinese food. Most individuals have a higher than recommended intake of sodium because packaged and processed foods contain high doses. These include packaged snacks, canned foods, salad dressings, cooking sauces and soups, frozen dinners, deli meats, butter and margarine and fast foods. The Cleveland Clinic recommends methods to decrease your salt intake, such as not using table salt, reading nutrition labels on packaged foods, eating more home-cooked meals, eating more whole foods and using sodium-free herbs and salt-substitutes to add flavor to food.
Other Risk Factors for Heart Disease
The American Heart Association advises everyone to reduce the amount of salt they consume. However, individuals with other risk factors for heart disease should more stringently follow a low-sodium diet. Other risk factors include obesity, diabetes, being of Asian, Native American or African descent, being over the age of 50 and having kidney disease. Men are more likely than women to suffer from cardiovascular disease at an earlier age and typically consume more salt due to higher calorie intake and being more likely to eat processed, commercially prepared and fast foods.
References
- Harvard Health Publications: Watching Daily Sodium Intake is Important for Some
- Colorado State University: Sodium Intake
- Cleveland Clinic: High Blood Pressure and Nutrition
- ABCNews Health: What are the Most Common Risk Factors for Heart Disease?
- American Heart Association: American Heart Association Supports Lower Sodium Limits for Most Americans
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