CDC Report Claims Most Sodium Comes from Common Foods

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has issued a report that claims less than 10 percent of American adults limit their daily sodium intake to recommended levels.

Titled “Sodium Intake Among Adults—United States, 2005-2006,” the report also suggests that processed grains and meats, including poultry and luncheon meats, provide two-thirds of sodium in the U.S. diet. In addition, approximately 77 percent of dietary sodium purportedly comes from processed and restaurant foods, many of which do not taste salty.

U.S. adults consume more than twice the current recommended limit of 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day, according to the report, which examined data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. “Sodium has become so pervasive in our food supply that it’s difficult for the vast majority of Americans to stay within recommended limits,” said lead author Janelle Peralez Gunn. “Public health professionals, together with food manufacturers, retailers and health care providers, must take action now to help support people’s efforts to reduce their sodium consumption.” See CDC Press Release, June 24, 2010.