How Much Salt is Too Much?

VIDEO 

 

In this day and age, you’re probably well aware that you’re supposed to be mindful of how much 

salt you’re eating. But as it turns out, being truly aware of your salt intake takes much more effort than 

simply removing the saltshaker from your dinner table. The average American consumes two to three 

times as much salt as she or he should on a daily basis, and only 15% of that comes from the 

saltshaker. About 10% occurs naturally in foods, and a whopping 75% is put there by the food 

industry.1  

 

That’s why it’s important for consumers to know exactly what they’re getting themselves into 

each time they pop open a can of soup or sit down at a restaurant. Excessive salt intake leads to high 

blood pressure, and high blood pressure, which leads to cardiovascular disease, is both silent and 

deadly.  

 

In all fairness, we do need some salt, usually referred to as sodium on food labels, to survive. 

Sodium performs several important functions in the body.  First, it helps maintain body fluid 

concentration levels, since water is drawn to sodium. Second, it is essential for normal electrical 

conduction along our nerve pathways. And third, it assists in the bodies’ uptake of nutrients. All of this 

can be done with about half a gram of sodium a day.2,3 

 

But as I mentioned, most Americans are taking in much more than that – about 4 grams, in fact, 

and many probably don’t even realize it.2 

 

The food industry adds salt to everything from breakfast cereals to cheeses. Why? Because we 

consumers have developed a taste for it.  We tend to buy foods that are high in sodium and shun 

those that are not. Other reasons on top of this include the fact that salt is a relatively inexpensive 

additive, it has some preservative qualities, it adds texture to the food, and it covers up a few bad 

tastes that are byproducts of food processing itself.4 

 

But with one gram in some cans of soup, two grams in some frozen TV dinners, and many 

restaurant meals serving up four grams of sodium, you can see how easy it is to take in too much and 

why so many of us need to be careful.4,5 

 

Understanding the connection between sodium, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular 

disease is key. To put it simply, high blood pressure causes cardiovascular disease, and 

cardiovascular disease leads to heart attack or stroke. How? High blood pressure is, in part, the result 

of too much blood volume in our circulatory systems. When sodium levels are high, the concentrated 

mineral draws in more water and expands blood volume. That volume must be pumped through the 

blood channels, putting extra stress on the heart. The volume itself creates expansion pressure on 

the vessels, stressing weak points, which can occasionally rupture. If this occurs in a blood vessel in 

the brain, a stroke is the result.1 

 

 

Who’s at risk? Approximately 30% of the U.S. population has high blood pressure, which is a 

reading of 140 over 90 or greater. And high blood pressure causes about half of the deaths from 

cardiovascular disease worldwide.1,6 

 

Age and race can increase risk. Nearly 70% of Americans over age 80 have high blood 

pressure, compared to only 10% between ages 30 and 39.  African Americans are 40% more likely 

than whites to suffer from high blood pressure, and they’re 50% more likely to die of heart disease, 

and 80% more likely to die from a stroke.  That’s why it’s recommended that seniors and African 

Americans of all ages consume no more than 1.5 grams of sodium a day, compared to the 2.3 grams 

a day recommended for the rest of the population. In fact, adhering to these recommended amounts 

over the next 10 years would save approximately 150,000 lives per year.2 

 

But considering how common salt is in our food supply, that’s a tall order. Currently, the Food 

and Drug Administration’s “Generally Recognized as Safe” status on salt allows it to be added without 

controls and oversight to our food. That’s why in June 2006, the American Medical Association urged 

the FDA to revoke the status and begin regulating salt as a food additive.5 Of course, that would not 

be an inconsequential battle for the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, whose 

budget has been cut nearly in half over the past four years from $47 million to $25 million.4 If the 

recommendation were adopted, packaged-food companies would not only be required to stick to 

certain sodium levels for various categories of food, but also speed up the search for an alternative to 

salt as a preservative and flavor enhancer.5  

 

To give credit where credit is due, some food manufacturers are trying, and we, the consumers, 

are not exactly cooperating. For example, ConAgra’s versions of low sodium Healthy Choice chicken 

noodle soup and low sodium Hamburger Helper went down in defeat. No buyers. But there is some 

good news on this front – the products from which the company has more quietly reduced sodium are 

doing well, including Kids Cuisine, Chef Boyardee, and Banquet frozen dinners.4 

 

So what can we do to take more control of our own sodium intake? First, read the labels.  Total 

intake per day of sodium should not exceed 2.3 grams, except for African Americans and the elderly, 

who should only consume 1.5 grams a day.  Any food with a half a gram or more in a portion is 

probably worth avoiding.  Second, watch the restaurants. A single meal often contains 4 grams of 

sodium. And think twice about that free bread on the table – it’s one of the worst offenders.2 Third, 

remove the salt shaker from your table at home. Why add insult to injury? Fourth, accept a little pain.  

Studies show we like the taste of salt and weaning ourselves off it will be noticeable at first.  But 

studies also show that adjusting to the change happens quickly and cravings disappear rapidly. 

Making the small sacrifice is well worth it. Cutting your sodium intake in half can drop your blood 

pressure 5 points, and that decreases your risk of death from heart disease by 9% and from stroke by 

14%.2 

 

For Health Politics, I’m Mike Magee. 

 

 

 

 

References 

 

1. He FJ, MacGregor GA. How far should salt intake be reduced? Hypertension. 2003;42:1093- 

1099. 

2. Havas S, Rocella EJ. Lenfant C. Reducing the public health burden from elevated blood 

pressure levels in the United States by lowering intake of dietary sodium. American Journal of 

Public Health. 2004;94:19-22. 

3. National Research Council, Committee on Dietary Allowances. Recommended Dietary 

Allowances. National Academies Press; 10th edition (November 1989). 

4. Warner M. The War Over Salt. The New York Times. September 13, 2006. 

5. “AMA calls for measures to reduce sodium intake in U.S. diet.” AMA Web site. June 13, 2006. 

Available at: www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/16461.html 

6. “AMA Recommends Salt Warning Labels.” CBS News. June 14, 2006.