AMA Urges Significant Cut in Salt [WSJ]
The real killjoy is a woman who surveyed the studies on moderate drinking and health, and concluded that drinking is not good for you. She claims that ex-drinkers were bunched with non-drinkers, and that many of the ex-drinkers had health problems related to alcohol. Take that with a grain of salt.
;-(
Doc
By RICHARD GIBSON
June 14, 2006; Page D11
Don't pass the salt, please.
Delegates at an American Medical Association convention in Chicago, citing "overwhelming evidence" that excessive sodium intake is tied to hypertension and other coronary diseases, called for shrinking the sodium in processed and restaurant foods by at least 50% over the next decade.
"Food manufacturers and restaurants should review their product lines and reduce sodium levels to the greatest extent possible, without increasing levels of other unhealthy ingredients," the nation's leading medical professional group concluded.
The group advocated more public education on the health benefits of lowering salt in the diet and suggested discussions with the Food and Drug Administration on improved labeling, to help consumers better understand the sodium content of foods. It also urged that warning labels be applied to foods high in sodium.
Finally, in a move that could make it more difficult for manufacturers to add sodium to products, the delegates urged the FDA to revoke the "generally recognized as safe," or GRAS, status of salt. Although the resolution has no force of law, the AMA's position is expected to intensify public debate over salt intake even as the food industry struggles with the amount of trans fats and saturated fats that products should contain.
"Cardiovascular diseases...remain the No. 1 killer of men and women in this country, accounting for approximately 40% of all U.S. deaths," the report said. It was prepared by the AMA's Council on Science and Public Health and reviewed a series of studies, done in recent years around the world, on the relationship between sodium intake and blood pressure.
The primary recommendation, for a significant reduction in sodium in processed and restaurant foods over time, is similar to a policy adopted by the American Public Health Association in 2002.
Salt Institute President Richard L. Hanneman, whose trade group speaks for salt producers, called the report "unfounded in science and potentially not only a waste of resources, but perhaps even dangerous." He said there are no studies that support the health benefits that the report's advocates contend.
Mr. Hanneman said that although many food manufacturers have reduced the sodium in their products over the years, "what hasn't changed is the amount of salt in the American diet."
Robert Earl, a spokesman for the Food Products Association, which represents manufacturers, said while many companies are working to reduce sodium in processed foods, those products "must appeal to consumers -- which is not a simple task." Mr. Earl said sodium often is a food preservative, "and there can be no compromising food safety simply to reduce a food product's sodium content."
The National Restaurant Association issued a statement saying it was working with others in the food industry to reduce sodium levels. But it noted that with an increased diversity of ethnic cuisines, more restaurants are using other spices and ingredients as substitutes for salt.
The AMA resolution said more than 95% of American men and 75% of American women aged 31 to 50 regularly consume more salt than the maximum recommended amount of less than a teaspoon a day, or about 2,400 milligrams. Most of that comes from eating processed foods and meals prepared outside the home, the report said, saying those sources must be addressed to "decrease the public health burden" of cardiovascular diseases.
The report noted that the British government has divided foods into categories according to sodium content and set voluntary target reductions for each. The AMA also said sodium levels can vary widely among different brands of the same food, "indicating that many manufacturers could lower sodium levels without jeopardizing their products' marketability."
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