salt1-240x180The 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. Sodium is known to raise blood pressure, which can lead to heart disease, the number one killer within the US.

An FDA Sodium study would take a while

FDA trials are long processes. The proper amounts of sodium are essential, but more than that is harmful. A division of the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine, has requested the FDA regulate the amount of 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.

Sodium is essential to get in proper doses

Sodium does play a vital part in the body, and according to this Health Canada page concerning sodium intake, it’s directly involved in maintaining and balancing fluids. However, too much sodium results in higher blood pressure, which leads to hypertension and heart disease, the number one killer among U.S. adults. Ordinary salt is fingered as the biggest source of sodium within the IOM brief.

Key ingredient in foods not exactly Weight Watchers approved

Many high fat foods, such as french fries, pizza and a lot of preserved and processed foods, a maligned mainstay of the American diet, use a lot more salt than the IOM or American Medical Association would like. In USA Today, the American Medical Association asserted that if the FDA were to reduce the amount of sodium restaurants and food producers put in their foods, 150,000 lives could possibly be saved over the next 10 years. The recommended daily intake is 1500 milligrams, but the IOM states the average intake was over 3400 mg.

In the US the number one killer is heart disease

Heart disease kills a lot more Americans than other things. It has long been suspected that it is tied to our diet. Higher blood pressure is known to be caused by too much sodium intake, and a heart transplant is a lot more than fast cash can cover, even with the best insurance. If there is merit, this could be worth pursuing.

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

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