IOM sodium report

Strategies to reduce salt intake in US

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a report entitled Strategies to Reduce Sodium Intake in the United States on 20 April. In this report, requested by Congress, the IOM concluded that reducing sodium content in food requires new government standards on acceptable levels of sodium. Restaurants and manufacturers need to meet these standards so that all sources of food supply are covered. The goal is to slowly, over time, reduce the sodium content of food in a way that goes unnoticed by most consumers, allowing individuals’ tastes adjust to the lower levels.

This move to lowering sodium content is important for health because consuming too much sodium increases the risk for high blood pressure, a condition that  is avoidable but can lead to a variety of diseases if allowed to continue.

Source: Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, 20 April 2010.

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