Overconsumption of salt is dangerous and expensive, says AHA
New CDC report: Most at risk not heeding sodium limit
Americans are eating too much sodium, and something must be done about it. That's the response of the American Heart Association (AHA) to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showing that 98% of Americans in high risk groups -- like African-Americans and those with hypertension, diabetes and chronic disease -- are consuming more than the 1500 mg of salt they should be limiting themselves to.
AHA president Gordon Tomaselli, M.D., said his organization believes the CDC report is "too conservative" in its estimate. “With the direct and indirect costs of cardiovascular disease already at $444 billion a year and rising, and with high blood pressure the single largest driver of those costs, this suggestion doesn’t go far enough to address either the human or economic burden that our excessive intake of salt costs. Other countries have realized this and are addressing it aggressively.” The AHA says that the daily intake of sodium for all American adults, not just those at risk, should be limited to 1500 mg.