How much salt does the average person in the United States consume in a day?
A new report released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) has revealed that Americans use too much salt in their foods. The average American has been found to consume far more salt than what is considered a healthy level. The study carried out by these researchers focused on the diets of many Americans. What they found was that, on average, Americans consume 3,436 milligrams of salt each and every day as an adult. This is far above recommended levels, as adults are usually not supposed to consume more than 2,300 milligrams on a daily basis. The scary aspect of this is due to blood pressure problems and such, more than 50% of Americans in this study were not supposed to consume more than 1,500 milligrams of salt on a particular day. The best way to reduce salt intake is to try and choose foods such as fruits and vegetables, and to get food cooked without salt. The study has been published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Salt: The Forgotten Killer What conclusion has the medical community come to regarding high-sodium diets? The medical community has reached a consensus that diets high in sodium are a major cause of high blood pressure as well as pre-hypertension, or blood pressure just short of high blood pressure. This significantly increases the risk of having a heart attack or stroke. About how many Americans suffer from high blood pressure and pre-hypertension? Today roughly 65 million Americans have hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, and another 45 million have pre-hypertension. Blood pressures greater than 140/90 are considered hypertension, while those between 120/80 and 140/90 are considered to be pre-hypertension. Ninety percent of Americans will ultimately develop hypertension unless preventive actions are taken. Looking at the bigger picture, each year 700,000 Americans die of heart disease and more than 160,000 die of stroke. Blood pressure levels greater than 120/80 are a ma
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that most people consume no more than 2300 mg, or 1 teaspoon, of salt a day. Currently, most people consume almost 3500 mg per day on average, which is about 33% more than the recommended amount, so we would all be wise to cut our salt consumption. Individuals at higher risk, including those with high blood pressure, blacks, and middle-age and older adults, should aim to have even less sodium in their diet. They should consume no more than 1500 mg. Sources: http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/healthday/2009/03/26/using-too-much-salt-is-common-in-us-cdc-says.
