Most Americans consume too much salt. A diet heavy in salt causes excess sodium to accumulate in the body, which can result in high blood pressure, leading to heart or kidney disease. Americans typically exceed the federal guidelines for sodium intake by 50 percent.
About
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which is reviewed and updated every five years based on current nutrition knowledge, sets the recommended intake of nutrients such as sodium. These federal guidelines are based on scientifically determined standards such as the recommended dietary allowance (RDA), adequate intake or tolerable upper limit. They typically are intended for healthy Americans ages 2 and older. The recommendations for maximum sodium intake, most recently published in 2010, remain unchanged from the 2005 recommendations.
Guidelines
The 2010 guidelines recommend that healthy Americans consume no more than 2,300 mg of sodium each day. This recommendation is further reduced to a maximum intake of 1,500 mg daily sodium for nutritionally at-risk populations, which include African Americans, individuals with high blood pressure, diabetes or chronic kidney disease, and those ages 51 and older. However, according to the Department of Agriculture, "virtually all Americans consume more sodium than they need."
Cause
Most Americans consume approximately 3,400 mg or close to 50 percent more sodium than they need every day. This primarily is due to a diet made up of heavily processed and packaged foods that contain large quantities of salt. The salt found in canned, frozen and packaged food products as well as cured, smoked or pickled foods is the primary culprit for the rising trends of sodium intake in the American diet. The CDC suggests that the salt added at the table or used in cooking actually contributes only a small portion to the sodium in American diets.
Significance
Consuming salt in excess can result in high blood pressure, leading to multiple health complications, such as heart or kidney disease. According to the USDA, as sodium intake increases, blood pressure follows. The reverse also is true in adults. The best way to protect against heart and kidney disease is reduce sodium intake and keep blood pressure within normal ranges.
Reduce Sodium Intake
Individuals can keep track of their sodium intake by cumulatively adding the milligrams of sodium for each serving of food eaten. This information is listed as sodium on nutrition labels. Maintaining an intake under 2,300 mg of sodium each day helps maintain blood pressure and prevent disease. Avoiding or reducing intake of canned, frozen and packaged foods as well as increasing consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables also helps reduce total sodium intake throughout the day.
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