CDC's Recommended Sodium Intake Levels May Have Negative Health Consequences, Study

A new study found that the sodium intake levels recommended by the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention is unrealistically low and may have negative health consequences.

Currently the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends an average daily sodium intake of less than 2300mg/day for healthy individuals under 50 years old and less than 1500 mg/day for most over 50 years. Owing to eating habits, Americans find it difficult to adhere to these recommendations and generally fall in the 2,645 - 4,945 mg of sodium per day range.

University of Copenhagen Hospital in Denmark researchers found that this range has more health benefits than that recommended by the CDC. According to the researchers, the CDC's recommendation is "excessively and unrealistically low."

The current study was a combined analysis of 25 individual studies, which measured results from over 274,683 individuals. The results support the findings of a major 2013 Institute of Medicine report, which voiced doubts on the current CDC recommendations but failed to establish any specific optimum range of intake.

"Our results are in line with the IOM's concern that lower levels could produce harm, and they provide a concrete basis for revising the recommended range in the best interest of public health," Dr. Niels Graudal, the study's lead author said in a statement. "The good news is that around 95% of the global population already consumes within the range we've found to generate the least instances of mortality and cardiovascular disease."

Researchers noticed a reduction in survival among people who consume sodium below the 2,645 - 4,945 mg of sodium per day range. There were no health hazards among people who consumed this quality of salt, as long as they didn't exceed it.

The study was published online in the American Journal of Hypertension.

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