Word: salt
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That's a serious amount of money, but it's the health benefits that are even more stunning. Using data from previous clinical trials on salt intake and blood pressure, the researchers found that reducing sodium by 3 g per day would be as good for the heart as cutting tobacco use by half, lowering one's body mass index 5% or taking statin medications to lower cholesterol. Even more surprising, cutting salt by 3 g per day was as effective in reducing death rates among people with hypertension as taking medication to control blood pressure. (See the 10 worst...
...enough to prevent you from reaching for the salt shaker at your next meal, but unfortunately, it may not be that easy to keep sodium levels in check. Almost 75% of the salt we consume each day comes from processed and prepared foods, such as breads, cereals and dairy products - sources we have very little control over, not to mention awareness of. (You can easily get 3 g of sodium in a single sandwich with two pieces of bread, some deli meat and cheese...
...average American man consumes 10.4 g of salt each day; the average woman, 7.3 g. The daily recommended amount, according to government nutrition experts, is 6 g. That means that even if most men were to cut 3 g of salt out of their diet each day, they would still be consuming more than the recommended daily allowance of sodium. (See the top 10 new diet books...
That's why, says Bibbins-Domingo, it will take a national intervention to lower the U.S. population's salt intake. "This really has to go beyond just individual efforts in counseling patients and people in communities to lower salt in their diet," she says. "This type of effort really requires some sort of regulation and engagement in collaboration with the food industry to target slightly lower salt content in foods...
...wouldn't take much to accustom the American palate to less salty fare, she says. In the U.K., government regulations lowering salt in processed foods resulted in a 10% drop in salt intake by the population, with few, if any, mourning any loss in taste. (See the top 10 medical breakthroughs...