US Salt Intake Little Changed in 50 Years and Still Too High

US Salt Intake Little Changed in 50 Years and Still Too High: A new review of 24-hour urinary sodium excretion as measured in a variety of US studies carried out in the past half century has found little change in salt consumption. “The mean amount of sodium excretion in our analysis appears to be well above levels recommended by the Institute of Medicine [IOM]: 1500 mg per day for young adults and 1200 mg per day for those aged 71 or older,” wrote authors Dr. Adam M. Bernstein and Dr. Walter C. Willett, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA. They found a mean 24-hour sodium excretion per person of 3526 mg, which corresponds to an intake of around 3712 mg of sodium per day, because 95% of daily dietary sodium intake is excreted in urine, they explain. “Urgent action needs to be taken,” stressed Dr. Graham MacGregor, Queen Mary, University of London, UK. “If the US reaches the target salt intakes, it will reduce stroke and heart-attack deaths by 150 000 per year.” Am J Clin Nutr 2010. DOI:10.3945/ajcn.2010.29367