“Lose the salt shaker, and you’ll improve your health,”David H. Stone MD, member of Society for Vascular Surgery. “Adding table salt (sodium chloride) to your food increases your overall salt intake, especially when eating out or when consuming ready-to-eat foods. When it comes to salt, less is more.”
Dr. Stone, a vascular surgeon knows that high blood pressure can be caused by increased salt intake. Hypertension is also known as stroke-related hypertension.
Hypertension is blood pressure greater than 140/90. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (US Department of Health and Human Services), 74.5 million Americans suffer from high blood pressure. “Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010.”
According to the National Institutes of Health, Americans should consume no more than one tablespoon (2.400 mgs) of salt each day. The daily salt recommendation for at-risk Americans is 1,500 mg or less. This includes people over 51 years of age, African Americans, and people with diabetes, high blood pressure, or kidney disease.
Stroke and heart attack, both vascular diseases, are the most common causes of death for American adults. A 2012 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study found that Americans consume on average 3,266mg of salt each day. 75% of our daily salt intake comes via prepared foods in restaurants and stores.
These are the five most common salt culprits:
* Bread and rolls
* Cold cuts/cultured meats
* Pizza
* Fresh and processed poultry
* Soup
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Million Hearts initiative, co-led jointly by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, aims to reduce sodium intake in an effort to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes over the next five year.
A decrease of 11 percent (360 mgs) in salt daily could prevent 28,000 deaths and help save $7 billion annually in healthcare costs.
“Overall, fresh fruits, vegetables and meats prepared in the home are the healthiest choices,”Dr. Stone.
The Society for Vascular Surgery website has information about nutrition, vascular health and other topics. www.vascularweb.org.
