Sodium and health

Sodium is the portion of salt that has raised concerns with its possible connection to high blood pressure, or hypertension. Not everyone is susceptible to having high blood pressure caused by a high-sodium diet, but about 15 to 25 percent of Americans are genetically prone to developing the condition. The average North American diet is high in sodium, which automatically puts this subgroup at risk.

To safeguard this 15 to 25 percent of sodium-sensitive individuals, it is recommended that they should lower their sodium intake. The concern is that high blood pressure, regardless of its cause, is a known risk factor for heart disease, kidney disease and strokes.

How much should sodium intake be reduced? Most Americans ingest 2 to 3 teaspoons (4,000 to 5,000 mg) of sodium per day. That amount can be lowered to 1,100 to 3,300 mg (1 to 1.5 teaspoons) by taking three simple steps:

• cutting back on high-sodium sources such as processed foods.
• not adding salt during food preparation.
• removing the salt shaker from the table.