Webliography
- November 2010: Halt the Salt
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Canadian Resources
Evidence-based fact or fiction?
- Excess sodium intake causes fatal heart attacks, strokes, congestive heart failure and kidney disease. It also causes stomach cancer, which prematurely and needlessly kills 10,000 to 15,000 Canadians per year.
Fact or Fiction?
FACT , based on the following evidence:
- Havas, S., Roccella, E. J., & Lenfant, C. (2004). Reducing the public health burden from elevated blood pressure levels in the United States by lowering intake of dietary sodium. American Journal of Public Health 94 (1),19-22.
- Dickinson, B. D., & Havas, S. (2007). Reducing the population burden of cardiovascular disease by reducing sodium intake: A report of the [AMA] Council on Science and Public Health. Archives of Internal Medicine 167 (14), 1460-1468.
These authors estimated that by reducing sodium intake, 150,000 deaths can be prevented annually in the U.S., which has a population is approximately nine times greater than Canada's.
- He, F. J., & MacGregor, G. A. (2003). How far should salt intake be reduced? Hypertension 42 ,1093-99 at 1097. Available at http://hyper.ahajournals.org/cgi/reprint/42/6/1093
These authors estimated that 52,000 deaths could be prevented in the U.K., which has a population approximately double that of Canada's.
- Excess sodium costs the Canadian economy and health care system at least $2 billion annually.
Fact or Fiction?
FACT , based on the following evidence:
- Joffres, M. R., Campbell, N. R., Manns B, & Tu, K. (2007). Estimate of the benefits of a population-based reduction in dietary sodium additives on hypertension and its related health care costs in Canada. Canadian Journal of Cardiology 23 , 437-43;
- The addition of sodium to food by food processors accounts for about 75% of dietary sodium consumption.
Fact or Fiction?
FACT , based on the following evidence:
- Excess sodium in the Canadian diet likely kills more Canadians every year than any other chemical substance.
Fact or Fiction?
FACT , based on the following evidence:
- Although it may be more visible, salt added at the table actually accounts for only a small amount (5%) of daily sodium intake.
Fact or Fiction?
FACT , based on the following evidence:
- CNA endorses the Blood Pressure Canada sodium policy.
Fact or Fiction?
FACT , based on the following evidence:
- The human tongue is hooked on salt, to the extent that it seems to savour the very word.
Fact or Fiction?
FACT , based on the following evidence:
- Since most people understand what a healthy amount of sodium is, few continue to have high dietary salt intakes.
Fact or Fiction?
FICTION , based on the following evidence:
- The taste for salt is purely a habit: The more you eat, the more you want.
Fact or Fiction?
FACT , based on the following evidence:
- Acquiring a taste for salt is a learned behaviour – not a natural behaviour – and can be unlearned.
Fact or Fiction?
FACT , based on the following evidence:
Guidelines
Quick facts
- 1 level teaspoon of salt contains just over 6 grams of salt.
- 6 grams of salt contains about 2,300 mg of sodium.
- 2,300 mg is the Tolerable Upper Intake Level of dietary sodium — the maximum amount per day compatible with good health
Dietary guidelines
“The Shakedown on Salt” is an educational supplement from the Canadian Stroke Network with guidelines for daily dietary sodium intake.
- The recommended daily intake is approximately 1,500 mgs per day, with an upper tolerable intake level of 2,300 mgs per day. However, the national guidelines for adequate intakes of sodium by age are:
- 1-3 years: 1,000 mg per day
- 4-8 years: 1,200 mg per day
- 9-50 years: 1,500 mg per day
- 50-70 years: 1,300 mg per day
- 70+ years: 1,200 mg per day
Clinical practice guidelines
Reports
Resources for Health-care Professionals
Educational Tools
Nutritional Impacts of Dietary Sodium
Information on Eating a Low Sodium Diet
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Social Determinants of Health
