A recent study found that people with cardiovascular disease consumed double the amount of sodium per day than recommended – 89% of them exceeding the ideal daily allowance of 1 500mg.
For those without heart disease, the current recommendation for the maximum daily amount of sodium is 2 300mg – about a teaspoon of table salt – but the latest research found the average amount consumed daily by people with CVD was a hefty 3 096mg.
The findings were presented earlier this week at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session. The results have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, reports MedicalNewsToday.
Diagnosis
The study used data from 3 170 participants from the Centre for Disease Control’s NHANEST study. These sample included males and females older than 20 with a cardiovascular disease diagnosis.
Of this group, most were white, 65 or older, and with an education level below high school graduate. Males, who accounted for slightly more than half of the subjects (56.4%), were overweight with an average intake of 1 862 calories per day.
While overconsumption of sodium is often considered a result of fewer food choices, the study turns that hypothesis on its head.
The group with the greatest sodium intake were people at the higher end of the income scale and with a college degree or higher.
The study authors suggest that individuals with higher levels of education and income could have been better at reporting their sodium intake, which may have contributed to the surprising results.
Heart and sodium
Sodium is a naturally occurring mineral, which is necessary for human health in small amounts.
“It helps to balance the water in your body,” said cardiologist Jayne Morgan, MD, clinical director at the Piedmont Healthcare Corporation in Atlanta, who was not involved in the study.
“It even supports the proper functioning of muscles and nerves, and increases the blood volume in your bodies. The effect of this is an increase in blood pressure. This then forces your heart to work harder, eventually putting you at risk of heart disease.”
Excess sodium has long been linked with the hardening and stiffening of the arteries and atherosclerosis.
A significant body of research has investigated why so many people crave salt.
“The consistent over-consumption of sodium across the socio-economic spectrum suggests that factors beyond just access to resources may influence sodium intake,” said Michelle Routhenstein, registered dietician nutritionist at EntirelyNourished.com, who was not involved in the study.
She suggested this could imply “widespread availability and marketing of convenient high-sodium processed foods, cultural dietary habits that prioritise salty foods, and limited awareness or education about the health risks associated with excessive sodium consumption”.
Morgan agreed, taking it a step further:
“This is a great testament to the pervasiveness of the Western diet and cravings for salt and ‘flavour’. It also is a reflection of the ease and availability of sodium in many grocery products, even when buying ‘healthy’ options.”
• Abstract not yet available
See more from MedicalBrief website:
Sodium content policy change can save 7m lives – WHO
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Salt substitutes slash risk of CVD, death – Chinese-Australian meta-analysis