Salt Intake Reference Updated

A new US National Academies report updated Dietary Reference Intakes for potassium (Adequate Intake [AI] 3400 mg for man and 2600 mg for most women per day) and sodium (AI 1500 mg/day, and Chronic Risk Reduction Intake 2300 mg/day) in healthy adults. There was insufficient evidence of risk of excess sodium or potassium intake within the healthy populations to establish an upper limit for either nutrient. There was moderate to strong evidence for both a causal relationship and an intake-response relationship between sodium and cardiovascular disease, blood pressure, and all-cause mortality. The effect of sodium reduction was even greater among adults with high blood pressure. Further reducing sodium intake below the 2,300 mg/day for adults have demonstrated blood pressure lowering effect. The evidence on the potential harms of low sodium intake was limited and inconsistent. Americans average 3,400 mg of sodium daily. Most salt in the diet isn’t added at home but in commercial preparation of food and drink ingredients and products. Source: https://www.nap.edu/