Top 15 Sources of Sodium Updated in Bid to Reduce Intake

Newswise — Washington D.C. – Identifying the top sources of sodium in the American diet can inform policies and programs aimed at reducing sodium intake, a key risk factor for hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Nearly 90 percent of Americans consume sodium in excess of dietary guidance, much of it from prepackaged foods.

A new study on the subject by researchers at the University of Toronto and supported by IAFNS appears in the peer-reviewed journal Nutrients. The scientists studied over 7,000 research subjects using the 2017-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey which consists of information on the health and nutritional status, including dietary recall information on foods consumed, of a nationally representative sample of adults and children in the United States.

Efforts to curtail population sodium intake through consumer education and food labelling campaigns have had minimal impact. This suggested a need to have a more recent assessment of food contributors to sodium intake.

According to the researchers, the top 15 food categories accounted for 50.83% of total dietary sodium intake: pizza (5.3%); breads, rolls and buns (4.7%); cold cuts and cured meats (4.6%); soups (4.4%); burritos and tacos (4.3%); savoury snacks (4.1%); poultry (4.0%); cheese (3.1%); pasta mixed dishes (2.9%); burgers (2.5%); meat mixed dishes (2.5%); cookies, brownies and cakes (2.4%); bacon, frankfurters, sausages (2.4%); vegetables (2.2%); and chicken nuggets (1.5%).

According to the authors, “This study found that the top 15 food category contributors to dietary sodium represent just over 50 percent of total dietary sodium intake for American adults, with pizza, breads, cold cuts, soups and burritos being the top five contributors. Our findings were consistent across the population subgroups.”

The research contributes key data on the food categories that could be reformulated to reduce sodium content to have the greatest impact on North Americans’ diets. The World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that limiting population-level sodium intake can reduce hypertension, an important preventative strategy to lower the risk of cardiovascular diseases — among the leading causes of death in North America. The study provides an updated understanding of the top sources of sodium intake in the American population overall.

According to the authors, “The present research contributes important information pertaining to the food categories that would be amenable to reformulation and have significant impact on Americans’ diets.”

Lead author Mavra Ahmed says, “This data is important in light of the FDA Voluntary Sodium Reduction Goals which bring renewed focus on the importance of limiting sodium in the food supply and can help focus future efforts.”

The study can be found by clicking here.

This research was supported by a competitive grant from the Institute for the Advancement of Food and Nutrition Sciences (IAFNS) Sodium in Foods and Health Implications Committee. IAFNS is a 501(c)(3) science-focused nonprofit uniquely positioned to mobilize industry, government and academia to drive, fund and lead actionable research. IAFNS has over forty scientific projects and programs all focused on delivering science that matters. Learn more at iafns.org.