Three studies recently published in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) have answered the Institute of Medicine’s call for additional data on the effects of salt consumption on human health, raising questions about the relationships between sodium intake, blood pressure, cardiovascular events, and mortality. Relying on the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) cohort study that followed more than 150,000 adult participants from a selection of low-, middle- and high-income countries, two of the articles used urinary sodium and potassium excretion measurements to estimate dietary sodium consumption. One study reported that, despite previous research linking sodium intake to hypertension, the association between sodium and potassium excretion and blood pressure was “non-linear and most pronounced in persons consuming high salt diets, persons with hypertension, and older persons.” Andrew Mente, et al., “Association of Urinary Sodium and Potassium Excretion with Blood Pressure,” NEJM, August 2014. Looking at mortality and cardiovascular events, the second…
Tag Archives salt/sodium
A California federal court has dismissed several of the plaintiffs’ claims in a putative class action accusing Frito-Lay North America Inc. of mislabeling its Rold Gold pretzels as “low fat,” “fat free” or “all-natural” despite allegedly containing high sodium levels and unnatural ingredients. Figy v. Frito-Lay North America Inc., No. 13-3988 (N.D. Cal., order entered August 12, 2014). The court found that the plaintiffs had standing to sue on behalf of purchasers of several non-purchased products because Frito-Lay’s health claims were the same for each and the only difference was the shape of the pretzel products. The court then dismissed several of the plaintiffs’ claims. It found that it did not have subject matter jurisdiction to grant injunctive relief because Frito-Lay had triggered the plaintiffs’ obligation to prove jurisdiction by submitting declarations and extrinsic evidence of the plaintiffs’ lack of standing to seek an injunction, and the plaintiffs had then failed to…
A recent study has allegedly concluded that high dietary sodium intake doubles the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with type-2 diabetes. Chika Horiakwa, et al., “Dietary Sodium Intake and Incidence of Diabetes Complications in Japanese Patients with Type 2 Diabetes–Analysis of the Japan Diabetes Complications Study (JDCS),” Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, July 2014. Researchers with the University of Niigata Prefecture analyzed food frequency questionnaires and disease incidence data for more than 1,500 people with type-2 diabetes who participated in the Japan Diabetes Complications Study (JDCS) during eight years of follow-up. Their results evidently showed that although sodium intake was not associated with overt nephrology, diabetic retinopathy or all-cause mortality, participants “who consumed an average of 5.9 g of sodium per day had about a 2-fold higher risk of CVD than those who consumed an average of 2.8 g/d.” “The study’s findings provide clear scientific evidence supporting low-sodium diets…
A Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) report examining the sodium contents of popular restaurant meals has urged the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to set “reasonable limits on the amounts of sodium that can be used in various categories of food.” Although the 17 restaurant chains under review reduced sodium in their menu items by an average of 6 percent between 2009 and 2013, the consumer group singled out some companies for allegedly increasing sodium in the sample meals analyzed for the report. In particular, the report names the top 10 “saltiest meals in America” for both adults and children, noting that “79 percent of the 81 adult meals in the study still contained more than 1,500 milligrams (mg) of sodium,” with some meals topping out at 5,000 mg of sodium. “For far too long, the FDA has relied on a voluntary, wait-and-see approach when it comes…
The New York City Food Policy Center at Hunter College has announced a May 20, 2014, meeting at the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College in New York City, to discuss ways of translating conflicting information about salt into public health policy. Professor of Public Health at the City University of New York School of Public Health and Hunter College Nicholas Freudenberg is slated to moderate the panel with participants former Commissioner of Health, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s Thomas Farley; and Professor and Department Chair of Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University’s Sandro Galea Gelman. See NYCFoodPolicy.org, May 7, 2014. Issue 523
A California resident has filed a putative nationwide class action against Trader Joe’s alleging that the company fails to disclose “the dangerously high” sodium content contained in its sunflower kernels and sunflower shells and then markets the products as a “good” or healthy snack. DiSimone v. Trader Joe’s Co., No. BC544924 (Cal. Super. Ct., Los Angeles Cty., filed May 6, 2014). Claiming that the company deceives consumers by listing a single serving “with Shells” as containing 690 milligrams (mg) of sodium or “29%” of the total daily value established by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the plaintiff contends that the seeds and shells, which are also placed in the mouth, actually contain more than 2,350 mg of sodium, an amount that far exceeds a large order of McDonald’s French fries at 350 mg of sodium. The plaintiff further asserts that the average consumer will eat more than one…
A recent study has purportedly claimed that “both low sodium intakes and high sodium intakes are associated with increased mortality,” raising questions about sodium consumption guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other health authorities. Niels Graudal, et al., “Compared with Usual Sodium Intake, Low- and Excessive-Sodium Diets are Associated with Increased Mortality: A Meta-Analysis,” American Journal of Hypertension, April 2014. After analyzing data from 23 cohort and two followup studies involving 274,683 individuals, Danish researchers reported that the risks of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease events “were decreased in usual sodium vs. low sodium intake… and increased in high-sodium vs. usual sodium intake,” a result “consistent with a U shaped association between sodium intake and health outcomes.” In particular, the main findings apparently showed that “2,645-4,945 mg of sodium per day, a range of intake within which the vast majority of Americans fall, actually results…
A research abstract presented at the American Heart Association’s (AHA’s) Epidemiology and Prevention/Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism Scientific Sessions 2014 has claimed that “overweight or obese teenagers who eat lots of salty foods may show signs of fast cell aging.” According to a March 20, 2014, AHA press release, researchers with the Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Regents University analyzed the telomere-to-single-copygene ratios of 766 participants ages 14-18 who were divided into two groups representing low-sodium intake (an average of 2,388 mg/day) and high sodium intake (an average of 4,142 mg/day). The abstract’s authors noted that overweight and obese teens in the high-intake group had telomeres “that were significantly shorter” than the telomeres of normal weight teens in the same intake group. “Even in these relatively healthy young people, we can already see the effect of high sodium intake, suggesting that high sodium intake and obesity may act synergistically…
A recent study has reportedly concluded that cereal and bread are major sources of dietary salt intake for children and adolescents in the United Kingdom. Naomi Marrero, et al., “Salt Intake of Children and Adolescents in South London: Consumption Levels and Dietary Sources,” Hypertension, March 2014. After analyzing the urinary sodium levels of 340 children ages 5 to 17, researchers reported that 70 percent of all participants consumed more salt than the maximum recommended amount for their age group. In particular, the results purportedly showed that “salt intake increased with age and was also higher in boys than in girls for the 5- to 6- and 13- to 17-year age groups.” With 66 percent of the 5- to 6-year-olds, 73 percent of the 8- to 9-year-olds, and 73 percent of the 13- to 17-year-olds exceeding daily salt recommendations, the researchers also noted that cereal and cereal products contributed 36 percent…
A New York resident has filed a putative class action against Boar’s Head Provisions Co., alleging that the company’s advertising and labeling representations—“47% lower sodium,” “42% lower sodium,” and “40% lower sodium”—for some of its deli meats, including turkey breast and ham, contain as much sodium as its regular deli meat products and a higher percentage of sodium than stated when compared to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reference products. Mackles v. Boar’s Head Provisions, Co., Inc., No. 13-4855 (S.D.N.Y., filed July 12, 2013). According to the complaint, the defendant’s representations are inaccurate by a factor of more than 10 percent. The plaintiff also alleges that when he asked the company about the lower-sodium claims on its product labels, he received a letter stating that they “were submitted to and approved by the USDA.” On further investigation, the plaintiff allegedly learned from USDA that companies must ensure labeling accuracy, and…
