The projected effect of dietary salt reductions on future cardiovascular disease.

The Department of Agriculture and Department of Health and Human Services recommend daily intake of less than 5.8g of salt (2300mg of sodium) with a lower target of 3.7g of salt per day for most adults.

Despite the guidelines, the average man in the US consumes about 10.4g of salt per daily and the average woman 7.3g per day. The U.S. diet is high in salt, and, most salt comes from processed foods. 75-80% of the salt in the U.S. diet comes from processed foods, not from added salt during food preparation or consumption.

Reducing dietary salt by 3g per day (1200mg of sodium per day) is projected to reduce the annual number of new cases of:

• Stroke by 32,000 to 66,000
• Myocardial infarction by 54,000 to 99,000
• Congestive heart failure by 60,000 to 120,000

Even modest reductions in dietary salt would yield substantial health benefits across the U.S. population of adults by lowering rates of cardiovascular events and reducing medical costs.

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