A new study found that despite private and public health organizations urging processed and fast food companies to reduce sodium levels, salt content in processed and restaurant food continues to be high.
The consumption of processed and fast food in the U.S, is high, which in turn reflects in the high obesity rates in the country. Public and public health organizations have constantly called upon the food industry to reduce the sodium content in the food items but according a new Northwestern Medicine study, this plea has fallen on deaf years as the salt content in processed and fast foods remains high.
The study, which was published May 13 in the JAMA Internal Medicine showed that the average sodium content in 402 varieties of packaged foods only decreased 3.5 percent between 2005 and 2011. Moreover, 72 items sold by leading food chains increased their sodium content by 2.6 percent in the same period.
"The voluntary approach has failed," said Stephen Havas, M.D., corresponding author of the paper and a research professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in a press release. "The study demonstrates that the food industry has been dragging its feet and making very few changes. This issue will not go away unless the government steps in to protect the public. The amount of sodium in our food supply needs to be regulated."
Excess consumption of sodium results in approximately 150,000 deaths in the U.S each year. More than 90 percent of Americans reportedly consume high levels of salt daily, which is known to cause high blood pressure, which in turn increases the risks of strokes and other health diseases. According to reported statistics, on a daily bases Americans consume an average of two teaspoon of salt a day which is higher than the recommended three-fifths of a teaspoon daily (or not more than 1,500 milligrams). Most of this salt intake comes from fast food consumption with only a quarter of that amount coming from salt added to home cooked food.
