Sodium is becoming an increasing health problem in the U.S diet and is being linked to various diseases such as hypertension and high blood pressure. According to information from the Mayo Clinic, fast foods as well as processed foods contain extremely high levels of sodium and Americans consume large amounts of fast and processed foods. 77% of the sodium in Americans diets is from fast and processed foods.  There are other sources that add sodium to the American diet: 5% of salt is added while cooking, 6% is added while eating, and 12% is from natural resources. By far, fast and processed foods lead the way as the main source of sodium in the American diet.

Sodium is essential in small amounts and promotes good health.  Sodium helps maintain the proper amount of fluids in the body, helps transmit nerve impulses, and influences the contraction and relaxation of muscles. Kidneys regulate the amount of sodium in your body. When sodium levels are low, the kidneys conserve sodium, when levels are too high; the excess is excreted through urine. If the kidneys are unable to eliminate enough sodium to maintain the proper amount in the body, it begins to accumulate in the blood. Sodium attracts and holds water, which in turn begins to increase the blood volume. Increased blood volume causes the heart to work harder to move blood through the vessels which increases the pressure in the arteries.

According to information from an article from Stephen Daniel, a study from Korea reported that preferences for fast food may enhance preferences for salt which suggests that the globalization of America’s fast food industry is also bringing the health risks associated with fast food along with it.  A report from the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics states that adolescents with the highest intake of fast food also exhibited the highest level of preference for salt. A study from the American Heart Association’s Journal Hypertension found that reducing salt intake form 9.7g to 6.5g daily could reduce blood pressure from 146/91 to 141/88 mmHg within six weeks. This suggests that a minimal amount of salt reduction could promote significant steps toward low blood pressure in a relatively short amount of time. The average daily salt consumption in the West is between 10-12g which exceeds the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommendation of 5g per day by more than double.

In 2007, an article published in The Lancet Chronic Diseases Series states that reducing salt intake globally by 15% could prevent nearly  9 millions deaths from 2006-2015.  The Annals of Internal Medicine further supports this claim by reporting that reducing American salt consumption by a mere 10% could prevent as many as half a million heart attacks and save the country approximately $32 million in health care costs. Information from the website Healthnews.com states that the reduction of salt intake can promote lower blood pressure levels; a key factor in heart attack and stroke prevention.  This article further supports the theory that cutting a small amount of salt consumption can facilitate large scale positive health outcomes.  The reduction of the amount of salt in processed foods by 9.5% could prevent 531,885 strokes and 480,358 heart attacks in the lifetimes of adults ages 40-85. Additionally, quality adjusted life years would increase by 2.1 million and amount to a total of $32.1billion savings in health care costs.  A decrease of salt consumption of 6% could prevent 327,892 strokes and 306,137 heart attacks while saving nearly $22.4 billion in health care costs and extending quality adjusted life years by 1.3 million.

A  CDC study has found that 75% of Americans consume more than the 2.3g daily recommendation of sodium. This study has also reported that excessive salt consumption contributes to 100,000 U.S. deaths annually. A report found on Healthnews.com has also found a link between salt and sugary drinks like soda. A London study found that children between the ages of 4-18 who ate a high salt diet also drank more sugary soft drinks. It is estimated that if children cut their salt intake by half, which amounts to about an average reduction of 3g daily, a decrease of 2 sugar sweetened soft drinks or an approximate 250 calorie reduction would also occur per week per child.  If the U.S population decreased salt intake by one half teaspoon, the health benefits would be equivalent to a substantial decrease in obesity rates, preventing heart attacks, and reducing smoking rates by 50%.

Numerous studies have indicated that a minimal decrease in salt consumption could have maximum health benefits. Simple things like reducing the amount of fast and processed foods in your diet can drastically reduce the amount of sodium intake and promote good health. Consider foods like Popcake pancakes that are low in sodium and calories and are also 97% fat free. Foods like Popcake pancakes make healthy food choices easy.