The Departments of Agriculture and of Health and Human Services recommend intake of 2300 mg of salt for the average person at most. The FDA has considered that salt is generally recommended as safe (GRAS.) This changed on 20 Apr., 2010, and the FDA now supports a reduction in the amount of salt intake.

The average U.S. diet has a very large amount of sodium. The FDA will work with food processing companies to reduce the salt in processed foods. Most of the salt we eat (75-80%) comes from processed foods. Reducing salt in processed foods would be highly beneficial for public health.

Thirty-five percent of the salt in processed foods is consumed as breads and cereal, 26% in processed meat and meat products and 8% in milk products. A sandwich can give you 50% of your daily salt. Salt is used because of preservative effect, good taste and it increases the water content of foods.

The present study worked with a computer model of the incidence and prevalence of coronary heart disease (CHD) and of the mortality and costs of CHD. The incidence of CHD is directly associated with salt intake. The goal was to discover the costs of high use of salt and the amount of money we would save by reducing our salt use to different levels. The results were measured in dollars saved and in the “quality-adjusted life years.”

The study show that if the whole population reduced its’ sodium intake by 1200 mg per day, there would be a reduction of new cases of CHD by 60,000 to 120,000, a reduction of heart attacks by 54,000 to 99,000 and reduced annual deaths by 44,000 to 92,000.

The Afro-American population, at greater risk of salt related hypertension, would benefit more that the nonblack population from salt reduction, with greater reductions in morbidity and mortality. Reduction of salt use was shown to give greater benefit than a 50% reduction of smoking, a 5% reduction in body-mass index or use of statin drugs to reduce risk of CHD.

The study showed that an overall reduction of sodium use by 1000 mg would reduce hypertension in women by 16 to 24% and in men by 22 to 34%. The cost of treating hypertension would be reduced by 3 to 6 billion dollars.

CONCLUSION: Dietary salt reduction can reduce cardiovascular disease and medical costs ($10-$24 billion dollars per year.) People seem to prefer food with less salt as salt reduction progresses. It takes about 6 weeks to “unlearn” salt taste.

NOTE: 1 teaspoon of salt contains 2300 mg sodium. 1 teaspoon of baking soda contains 1000 mg of sodium. The average American eats 3500 mg of sodium daily. People with hypertension (1/3 of Americans) should be eating only 1500 mg of sodium per day.

PMID: 20089957.

Summary #377.