Half a teaspoon may not sound like much, but a study just published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that reducing your daily salt consumption by that much–just 3 grams–may have far-reaching benefits.
The authors say such a small adjustment could “reduce the annual number of new cases of coronary heart disease by 60,000 to 120,000, stroke by 32,000 to 66,000, myocardial infarction (or heart attack) by 54,000 to 99,000”–and the annual number of deaths from any cause by 44,000 to 92,000.
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The total cost savings to the health-care system from that 3-gram reduction: $10 billion to $24 billion annually. The researchers add that cutting even one gram of salt would “be more cost-effective than using medications to lower blood pressure in all persons with hypertension.”
These are stunning numbers–though they are projections, determined by a statistical model. Nevertheless, they’re based on a well-known fact: Too much salt can be harmful to your health, especially to your heart.
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This is not to say that our diets should be entirely devoid of salt. Sodium–the main chemical ingredient in salt–is an essential mineral, and too little can contribute to certain conditions. But in general, not that much salt can be too much.
Many of us–adults and children–far exceed the recommended amounts. Healthy adults need no more than 2300mg of sodium a day (about 1 teaspoon of table salt), and adults with high blood pressure should get no more than 1500mg of sodium (a little more than half a teaspoon). For children, the upper limit should be 1200mg.
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My patients, especially those with high blood pressure, hear me preach about the benefits of a low-salt diet and swear that they keep the salt shaker out of reach when they cook and away from the dinner table. I believe them. The trouble is, 75% to 80% of dietary salt in the U.S. is “hidden” in processed foods, according to the New England Journal article.
Nor are restaurants required to disclose the amount of salt they use in food. A recent Center for Science in the Public Interest study showed that some fast-food meals contain nearly triple the salt recommended for an entire day. Boxed and canned foods also pack it in, because salt adds flavor and acts as a preservative.
Keep salt from sneaking into your diet. Check labels on all food products, including dairy, for sodium content, and be aware of howmuch is recommended for you. Keep the salt shaker at bay, and flavor food with pepper, spices, herbs, or lemon juice instead. When dining out, ask that your dish be prepared with less or no salt.