Health Group Asks for Lower Salt Limits
A New York City-based health organization is proposing that restaurants and packaged food manufacturers lower sodium levels by 25% over five years to greatly reduce preventable health risks.
The National Salt Reduction Initiative (NSRI) request would cut the nation's salt intake by 20%, helping prevent a variety of health complications, including hypertension, myocardial infarction, stroke, and ultimately mortality, a statement from the group said.
Salt intake is a major contributor to hypertension, which can lead to a MI or stroke and is a leading cause of preventable death, killing more than 800,000 people annually, the government estimates.
Many national and international health organizations support the proposal, including the American Heart Association, which added in a release that the group would like to see sodium levels on packaged and prepared foods halved in 10 years.
