American Heart Association Applauds New Sodium Reduction Study

Dallas : American Heart Association CEO Nancy Brown issued the following comments on a new 5-year study by the National Salt Reduction Initiative (NSRI) which shows encouraging signs that even more food companies will be able to voluntarily reduce sodium in the food supply:

“While we applaud all progress made thus far to decrease salt in our daily diets, this study demonstrates that we still have work to do. The study found that sodium levels decreased in a sample of top-selling packaged foods by about 7% from 2009 to the beginning of 2015. This is a noteworthy reduction, but it is not enough to eliminate the threats posed by sodium. Robust, clear science shows that excessive amounts of sodium can lead to high blood pressure, which greatly increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. It’s critical to give consumers more control over how much sodium they eat, and fortunately there is a plan in place to make this possible. The FDA’s voluntary sodium targets give the food industry a goal to work toward, and we encourage the FDA to continue dialogue with industry and finalize goals promptly to support the health of all Americans. We urge all food manufacturers and restaurants to take notice and join the companies who have already committed to reduce sodium in their products.”