A new study conducted at the University of Bonn in Berlin has fond that eating too much salt weakens the immune system, which may make people more susceptible to foodborne illness. Of course, it makes you more vulnerable to all other bacterial infections as well. And a high sodium diet causes hypertension, a risk factor … Read more
The FDA is warning consumers that they may be consuming far more salt than they think. Even if you don’t salt your food at the table or while cooking, you are probably consuming a lot of sodium, especially if you eat prepared or processed foods. Most of the sodium in the American diet comes from … Read more
The FDA is planning to reduce sodium in the food supply. The link between sodium consumption and blood pressure is well documented. Most people need to reduce their sodium consumption to less than 2,300 mg per day. And most of that consumption, about 75%, comes from processed and prepared foods, not the salt shaker. Some … Read more
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released a new Vital Signs monthly report that focuses on sodium in children’s diets. The report states that a bout 9 in 10 U.S. children eat more sodium than recommended. Most is consumed as salt in processed foods. Children ages 6 to 18 years in this … Read more
Four years ago, the Institute of Medicine asked the FDA to set limits on sodium levels allowed in processed food. The FDA has still not acted on those recommendations. Excess sodium is linked to stroke, heart attack, and other health problems. The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) states that “if Americans had cut their … Read more
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) wants restaurants to lower the sodium content of the foods they offer. The agency just issued a report called “From Menu to Mouth: Opportunities for Sodium Reduction in Restaurants”, which was published in CDC’s journal, Preventing Chronic Disease. Americans eat out, either at fast food or dine-in … Read more
The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report has a paper on trends in the prevalence of excess dietary sodium intake in the U.S. from 2003 to 2010. Excess sodium intake is a problem in this country. Eating too much sodium can lead to hypertension, the primary risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Reducing population sodium intake is … Read more
The Food and Drug Administration wants to help American consumers reduce their sodium intake. On average, U.S. consumers eat about 3300 mg of sodium every day, a full 1000 mg above the 2010 Dietary Guidelines level of 2300 mg. That much sodium can cause development and escalation of high blood pressure, which is a leading … Read more
New research published in the America Heart Association’s journal Circulation has found that in people who do not have high blood pressure (hypertension), a chronic high sodium diet is associated with the development of that disease. Researchers thought that a high sodium diet, over time, would cause damage to blood vessels in the endothelial layer. … Read more
The American Heart Association has commented on the FDA’s proposal to reduce American consumer’s sodium consumption with an interesting twist. That organization would like to see salt’s status as a “safe ingredient” modified. The AHA would also like to see more limits put on the process that lets food companies make their own GRAS determinations. … Read more