title: Dietary Sodium and Blood Pressure: How Low Should We Go?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Sodium intake in the United States exceeds recommended amounts across all age, gender and ethnic groups. National dietary guidelines advocate reduced intake by at least 1,000mg per day or more, but whether there is population-wide benefit from further reductions to levels of 1500mg per day remains controversial.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A brief review of current evidence-based dietary guidelines is provided and key prospective, randomized studies that report dietary and urinary sodium data are summarized. Dietary sources of sodium and eating patterns that offer nutritiously sound approaches to nutrient dense, reduced sodium intake are compared.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  No studies suggest that high sodium intake at the levels of the population's current diet is optimal. On the contrary, national and international evidence and systematic reviews consistently recommend reducing sodium intake overall, generally by 1000mg/day. Recommendations to reduce intakes to 2400mg/d are generally accepted as beneficial. Whether further reductions to 1500mg/d are useful, feasible and safe among specific subgroups in the population who are at increased risk of hypertension or stroke remains controversial and requires individualized consideration by patients and their health care providers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, 680 N. Lake Shore Drive, Suite 1400, Chicago, IL 60610. Electronic address: lvanhorn@northwestern.edu.
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Van Horn
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure; D004039:Diet, Sodium-Restricted / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009752:Nutritional Status; D065840:Protective Factors; D064167:Recommended Dietary Allowances; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D012982:Sodium, Dietary / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D012982:Sodium, Dietary
keywords: Blood pressure; Dietary guidelines; Salt; Sodium