Newswise — The nation's alarming consumption of salt is putting many Americans at increased risk of lethal heart disease and stroke, according to Roberta Ness, M.D., dean of The University of Texas School of Public Health.
As the president of the American College of Epidemiology, Ness is part of a nationwide initiative to reduce salt levels in processed and restaurant foods. The initiative was launched by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH) (Statement of Commitment by Health Organizations and Public Agencies).
The American College of Epidemiology is one of more than 30 health organizations and public agencies that have joined the salt reduction coalition and agreed to work toward a salt cutback. They are particularly targeting processed food, where Americans get 77 percent of their salt intake, according to information on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Web site. Six percent of salt intake occurs at the table, 5 percent during cooking and 12 percent is naturally occurring.
Excessive salt is an important cause of high blood pressure, which can contribute to cardiovascular disease, Ness says. "Salt is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease that is easy to reduce."
The DHHS Web site recommends people eat no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium/day. The current national average is 4,000 milligrams of sodium/day per 2,000 calorie diet, which is almost twice the daily average. In the coalition's "Statement of Commitment," which is posted on the NYC Department of Health Web site, it was reported that by the year 2000, men were consuming 48 percent more salt than they did in the early 1970s and women were consuming 69 percent more.
Reducing the salt content of processed and restaurant foods by half could prevent 150,000 premature deaths each year in the United States, the American Medical Association estimates. The salt reduction coalition would like food corporations to voluntarily lower their use of salt in packaged, processed and mass-produced meals.
Ness, who became dean of the UT School of Public Health in November 2008, earned her medical degree from Cornell University and her master of public health degree in epidemiology at Columbia University School of Public Health. An expert in women's health, she is the author of more than 200 publications. Ness has researched neonatal health and cardiovascular risk; the microbiology and treatment of pelvic inflammatory disease; as well as leading other clinical trials related to the health of women and children.
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