AHA Calls for Renewed Effort to Reduce Sodium Consumption

The American Heart Association (AHA) has issued a presidential advisory
calling for renewed efforts to reduce sodium consumption among Americans.
Published ahead of print in AHA’s Circulation, the advisory summarizes the
latest evidence backing its recommendation that consumers reduce their
sodium intake to less than 1,500 milligrams per day.

To this end, the new report builds on a 2011 presidential advisory that linked
excess sodium consumption to high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease
(CVD) and stroke. It also attempts to debunk what the advisory describes as
“[r]eports of paradoxical inverse or J-shaped associations between sodium
intake and CVD and stroke risk and a meta-analysis [that] have been widely
misinterpreted as disproving the relationship between sodium and CVD and
stroke risk and have received considerable media attention.”

According to AHA, these publications “have stirred controversy and confusion
in the popular press and the general population,” leading some to question
the need to curb salt intake. “People should not be swayed by calls for a
change in sodium intake recommendations based on findings from recent
studies reporting that a reduction in sodium consumption does not improve
cardiovascular health,” said the advisory’s lead author in a November 2, 2012,
AHA press release. “Our detailed review of these studies identified serious
methodological weaknesses, which limit the value of these reports in setting
or revising sodium intake policy. Our focus should be on finding effective
ways to implement, not change, the existing American Heart Association
policy on sodium intake.” Additional details about AHA’s first advisory appear
in Issue 377 of this Update.