The Food and Drug Administration is being called to study if regulating the amount of sodium in food is worthwhile. A study would take time, and cost more than a couple payday advances, but advisory groups including the American Medical Association believe it is necessary. The American diet is said to contain far too much sodium. Sodium is known to raise blood pressure, which can lead to heart disease, the number one killer in the US.

An FDA Sodium study would take a while

FDA trials are long processes. Sodium, though it is a vital part of the diet, is good for the body up to a certain point, after which it becomes a detriment. A division of the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine, has requested the FDA regulate the amount of sodium in food. Americans, according to an Institute of Medicine Study, take in far too much sodium in their diets. The study was initiated by Congressional request in 2008.

Sodium is vital in proper proportion

The maintaining and regulation of bodily fluids, from the Health Canada page, requires a certain intake of sodium every day. However, more than that can lead to hypertension, higher blood pressure, and heart disease, the number one killer of U.S. adults. According to the IOM brief, the main source of sodium in the American diet is through added salt.

Salt a heavy presence in unhealthy foods

Many high salt content foods are the fried, processed and preservative laden foods we’re supposed to avoid. The American Medical Association has asserted, according to USA Today, that if restaurants and other food companies were to reduce sodium content by half over the next 10 years, about 150,000 fewer people would die as a result. The IOM states that normal intake is 3,400 milligrams daily, over twice the recommended 1,500 milligrams.

Number one cause of death for US Adults is heart disease

More Americans die due to heart disease than anything else. Our diet is considered the prime culprit. The insurance of Croesus and no fax loans couldn’t cover a heart transplant, and sodium is a known cause of high blood pressure which leads to heart disease. This could be worth pursuing if there is merit.

Sources

http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2010/Strategies-to-Reduce-Sodium-Intake-in-the-United-States/Report-Brief-Strategies-to-Reduce-Sodium-Intake-in-the-United-States.aspx

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/iyh-vsv/food-aliment/sodium-eng.php

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2010-04-20-fda-salt-cutback_N.htm

 

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