Our bodies are being a-salted by our daily bread

NINE out of 10 American adults consume too much salt, and the leading culprit is not potato chips or popcorn but slices of bread and dinner rolls, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Forty-four percent of salt consumed can be linked to 10 types of foods. Bread and rolls lead the list followed by cold cuts and cured meat, pizza, poultry, soups, sandwiches, cheese, pasta dishes, meat dishes and snacks such as pretzels and potato chips.

Bread may not have much salt in a single serving, but when eaten several times a day it can raise daily salt intake. A single slice of white bread could contain up to 230mg of salt, according to the CDC.

High salt intake could raise blood pressure, which could lead to heart disease and stroke, the CDC said.

The average American consumed 3 266mg of salt daily, not counting salt added at the table, which was far above the recommended 2 300mg, the CDC said.

For six out of 10 Americans, including those who are over 51 or have high blood pressure or diabetes, 1 500mg is the recommended daily salt limit.

Even foods that seem healthy such as cottage cheese may be high in salt, the agency reported.

Raw chicken and pork was often injected with salt.

The CDC recommended eating more fruits and vegetables and carefully reading the labels on food to find those with the lowest salt content.

“Heart disease and stroke are leading causes of death in the US and are largely dependent on the high rate of high blood pressure,” said CDC director Dr Thomas R Frieden.

One in three American adults had high blood pressure, he said.

“One of the things that is driving blood pressure up is that most adults in this country eat or drink about twice the amount of sodium as is recommended,” Frieden said. “Most of that extra sodium comes from common grocery store and restaurant items and a very small proportion from the salt shaker at the table.”

Nearly two-thirds of the salt consumed by Americans is found in store products, 24.8 percent from restaurants and the remainder from other sources such as vending machines and the home salt shaker.

Frieden recommended that food producers and restaurants voluntarily reduce the amount of salt in their food.

A 25 percent drop in the salt content of the top 10 sodium sources would save 28 000 lives a year, he added. It would also give consumers more choice.

“People can choose how much (salt) to add at the table,” he said. “They can’t take it out once it’s there.”

Reuters could not reach a food industry spokesman for comment on the CDC recommendation that they reduce salt in food. – Reuters