Health
Most people eat too much salt
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted April 6, 2009
The majority of adults should ingest less than 1,500 mg of sodium a day, but most take in much more, according to a paper in the March 27 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
The Dept. of Health and Human Services and the Dept. of Agriculture recommend an upper limit of 2,300 mg of sodium a day, with a cap of 1,500 mg for people with hypertension, all African-Americans and people older than 40. Nearly 70% of the U.S. population falls into this lower-sodium group.
Researchers analyzed data from the 2005-06 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The estimated average sodium intake was 3,436 mg a day.
A June 2006 a report issued by the AMA Council on Science and Public Health urged the Food and Drug Administration to revoke sodium's "generally recognized as safe" status.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2009/04/06/hlbf0406.htm.
