The symposium titled "Current Perspectives on Sodium and Health: The Salty Evidence," chaired by Chor-San Khoo, PhD, vice president of global nutrition and health at the Campbell Soup Company, featured thought-provoking presentations from Victor L. Fulgoni, III, PhD, senior vice president of Nutrition Impact, LLC, and Debra Krummel, PhD, RD, of the University of Cincinnati.
Americans consume about 3,400 mg of sodium daily - significantly more than the recommended limit of 2,400 mg. In fact, 81% people exceed that recommendation. Although we have alerted people to the danger of consuming excess salt - namely, rising blood pressure - we don't know as much as we should in order to provide comprehensive, realistic dietary guidance.
Dr. Fulgoni pointed out that the largest share of sodium in the diet comes from grains and meat, fish and poultry. Fruit is the only food group that does not contribute sodium. Two-thirds of the sodium we consume comes from the processed and unprocessed foods we purchase or grow; one-third comes from food eaten out.
Dr. Krummel talked about the work being done by ADA's Evidence Analysis Library, a synthesis of the best, most relevant nutritional research on important dietetic practice. The strongest evidence centers on lowering sodium chloride. There are no good data on other salts such as sodium bicarbonate, sodium glutamine or sodium citrate, all of which are used in food.
Dr. Krummel explained that sodium intake remains stable despite efforts to lower it. Salt's taste and ability to preserve food are key reasons why it's difficult to replace. Everyone is "salt sensitive" to an extent - some more so than others. But not everyone responds in the same way to reducing salt in the diet. We need to do a better job defining salt sensitivity and customizing diets accordingly. This is where the work of registered dietitians is essential.
If sodium intake is reduced below 2,300 mg/day, blood pressure will decrease. But the question is: Will people do it? This is something the Dietary Guidelines committee must take into consideration.
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