Should The FDA Control How Much Sodium Is In Food?

The Food and Drug Administration is being called to study if regulating the amount of sodium in food is worthwhile. Advisory groups, including the American Medical Association, think that the study, and any bad credit installment loans needed to conduct it, would be worth it. The American diet is said to contain far too much sodium. Blood pressure is known to be raised by sodium, which can lead to heart disease, the biggest killer within the US.

FDA Sodium study could take years

FDA trials are long processes. Sodium is a vital part of nutrition within the proper amounts. The US Institute of Medicine, part of the National Academy of Sciences, is spearheading the call for the FDA to regulate sodium in food. A recent report published by the Institute of Medicine found Americans have too much sodium in their diets. The study was initiated by a Congressional request in 2008.

Getting the proper dose of sodium is important

Sodium does play a vital part within the body, and according to this Health Canada page concerning sodium intake, it’s directly involved in maintaining and balancing fluids. However, more than that can lead to hypertension, higher blood pressure, and heart disease, the number one killer of U.S. adults. According to the IOM brief, the main source of sodium within the American diet is through added salt.

Salt a heavy presence in unhealthy foods

Unhealthy foods, such as many fried foods, pizza, and quite a few processed and preserved food items, which are over consumed by Americans, have high salt content. The American Medical Association asserts that 150,000 lives might be saved over the next 10 years if the FDA were to limit the amount of salt restaurants and food companies put in their food, according to USA Today. The IOM states that normal intake is 3,400 milligrams daily, over twice the recommended 1,500 milligrams.

Number one reason for death for US Adults is heart disease

A lot more Americans die due to heart disease than anything else. Our diet is considered the prime culprit. The insurance of Croesus and could not cover a heart transplant, and sodium is a known cause of high blood pressure which leads to heart disease. This could be worth pursuing if there is merit.

Article Resources

http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2010/Strategies-to-Reduce-Sodium-Intake-in-the-United-States/Report-Brief-Strategies-to-Reduce-Sodium-Intake-in-the-United-States.aspx

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/iyh-vsv/food-aliment/sodium-eng.php

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2010-04-20-fda-salt-cutback_N.htm