It’s probably fair to say that the vast majority of Westerners are now aware of the dangers associated with consumption of excess salt. But a new study suggests that the currently approved one-size-fits-all medical advice for controlling salt does not fit all!
Pizza is the single largest contributor of excess salt in the Western diet…
There’s a new fashion among scholarly researchers: Lede your blockbuster research reports with sen-sational ‘shock and awe’ headlines! The latest extreme example I’ve seen involves the growing but little-discussed issue of excess consumption…
Shook me…
I was shaken when I learned that, ‘Almost all adults in the U.S. consume more sodium (salt) than recommended’.
In fact, prior to reading that lede line, I had assumed that the vast majority of Westerners were well aware of the dangers associated with excess dietary salt, and most had reduced their daily intake accordingly.
Not so, says a team from the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, whose new survey was just published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
What’s going on?
The team data-mined the growing trove of clinical information in the the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2017-2020 (pre-pandemic) to assess racial and ethnic dif-ferences in sodium intake.
Their goal was to challenge popular perceptions that different racio-cultural groups viewed – and abused – salt in different ways.
What they found
An abstract of the survey report reveals… “The average US adult consumes about 3,400 mg of sodium each day, often in prepared foods, such as pizzas, tacos, burritos, cold cuts, canned soup and breads.
A specific example: “The U.S. Department of Agriculture, one 6 in. Italian sub sandwich (bread, ham, cheese, salami, pepperoni) has approximately 3,110 mg of sodium.”
However, current official recommendations say he average adult should consume more more than 2,300 mg of sodium each day – about one teaspoon of salt.
Specific study findings include:
- Pizza, soup and chicken were among the top sources of sodium among people in all racial and ethnic groups.
- Among Asian American adults, four culturally unique food sources accounted for more than 14 percent of daily sodium intake: soy-based condiments (soy sauce), fish, fried rice and lo/chow mein, and stir-fried/soy-based sauce mixtures.
- Mexican mixed dishes like enchiladas, tamales, taquitos, pupusas, gorditas, chimichangas, ques-adillas, burrito bowls, fajitas, chiles rellenos and chilaquiles were unique top sources of sodium for Mexican American adults.
- For Black adults, foods such as chicken patties, nuggets and tenders were among the top sources of sodium.
- Black adults reported the highest rates of ‘attempting to’ lower sodium compared with white adults (67 percent versus 44 percent, respectively) and they had the highest rates of receiving physician advice to lower sodium intake, at 35 percent, versus 18 percent for Asian Americans.
- Asian American adults were the most likely to use salt while cooking, yet they were the least likely to use salt at the table.
The takeaway
Cheng said that, in general, reducing sodium is good for everyone, and it doesn’t have to be difficult. “Based on these findings, I suggest varying your diet and adding more potassium-rich foods such as vegetables, which can also help reduce blood pressure. You don’t have to avoid pizza completely. Eat it less often or try making it at home with low-sodium cheese, dough and tomato sauce you make from scratch.”
Cheng also suggested people consider a salt substitute to reduce sodium intake. “The World Health Organization recently recommended that non-pregnant adults without kidney issues opt for low-sodium salt substitutes that contain potassium. According to our analysis, less than 4 percent of US adults use salt substitutes despite their wide availability and relatively affordable cost,” Cheng said.
My take
The underlying premise of the survey’s findings – that certain cultural and racial groups should re-ceive salt intake advice specific to their needs – seems to make sense. And there are undeniable differences between different groups’ views on salt and their salt consumption habits. But I wonder just how much specific salt advice targeted at various groups identified as high-risk will actually help the lower their consumption of excess salt?
History has consistently shown that human beings have always been slaves to their cravings, while giving ‘advice’ a nod and a wink…
~ Maggie J.