Lower Sodium Intake Can Improve Your Health

With obesity, heart disease and high blood pressure on the rise, a recent Institute of Medicine report strongly urged the Food and Drug Administration to regulate the amount of sodium in processed, canned and restaurant food. With modest restrictions, lowering the average American's sodium intake can substantially decrease the risk of high blood pressure, heart attacks, stroke, heart failure and kidney disease.

Consuming too much sodium can adversely affect your health. High amounts of sodium cause the body to retain fluid and release several hormones, predominantly from the adrenal gland, in order to secrete excessive sodium out of the body.

Hormones released to compensate for excessive salt also cause blood vessels to constrict, resulting in a rise in blood pressure, which in turn forces the heart to work harder; the heart muscle hypertrophies and the heart enlarges. Over time this can result in heart failure, the most common cause of death in men and women. Moreover, too much sodium adversely affects the lining of arterial blood vessels predisposing to cholesterol deposition and a high risk of heart attacks.

Funded by the National Institutes of Health, a series of research studies, titled "Trials of Hypertension Prevention," clearly demonstrated that lowering salt intake in patients with early elevations of blood pressure returned the pressure to normal and decreased the risk of heart attacks, strokes and heart failure by 30 percent.

Currently, Americans consume a daily average of 9 to 12 grams of salt containing about 3,600 mg to 4,800 mg of sodium, which is about 1 1/3 teaspoons daily. This is double the recommended amount of 2,000 mg to 2,400 mg of sodium per day in healthy young adults. At the American Heart Association's annual conference on cardiovascular disease prevention, information was presented recommending that if Americans reduced their salt intake by 1 gram daily, the number of heart attacks and deaths would be reduced 200,000 in a decade.

Every American over 40 and black adults are particularly sensitive to the effects of salt and are much more likely to develop high blood pressure with too much sodium intake. In these individuals, sodium intake should not exceed 1,500 mg daily (no more than two-thirds of a teaspoon).

Sadly, this information about sodium is neither new nor groundbreaking. Americans have been hearing about the dangers of excessive salt for decades, and yet there have been no major inroads into reducing daily sodium intake. Some claim it is a taste issue — foods simply do not taste as good without huge amounts of salt. But the evidence is compelling that reducing sodium intake to more appropriate levels does not in any way adversely affect taste. Additionally, using sensible levels of salt does shorten the food's shelf life.

So what can you do? First, be educated about how much sodium you currently consume. Most common foods have much higher sodium levels than you think. For example, a 5-ounce, healthy frozen turkey dinner contains 800 mg of sodium, a bowl of most cereals contains more than 350 mg of sodium, most canned vegetables contain more than 700 mg, and a bowl of warm canned soup (for example, chicken noodle) contains more than 1,100 mg of sodium. Add those up during the day, and it is easy to exceed the recommended daily amount.

Becoming a savvy shopper is critical. At the grocery store, always consider fresh first, frozen second and canned last. Learn how to read labels and be aware of marketing claims. Sodium-free means less than 5 mg of sodium per serving, low sodium is less than 140 mg, and reduced sodium means the salt content has been reduced by 25 percent. Study labels carefully and choose foods with the lowest possible sodium levels.

High blood pressure and all its deleterious effects are increasing in incidence. It is quickly becoming a very dangerous epidemic. But by going back to basics, eating right and watching salt, you can guarantee a longer and better life. Change your health habits now and you will reap the rewards.

Dr. David Lipschitz is the author of the books, "Breaking the Rules of Aging" and "Dr. David's First Health Book of More Not Less." To find out more about Dr. David Lipschitz and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com. More information is available at www.DrDavidHealth.com.

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