Should The FDA Regulate Sodium In Food?

There is a growing chorus to have the Food and Drug Administration look into regulating the amount of sodium food items contain. Advisory groups, including the American Medical Association, think the study, and any bad credit installment loans needed to conduct it, would be worth it. Sodium is one of the elements that medical experts have said the American diet contains too much of. Blood pressure is known to be raised by sodium, which can lead to heart disease, the biggest killer in the US.

An FDA Sodium study would take a while

FDA trials are long processes. Sodium is a vital part of nutrition in the proper amounts. The US Institute of Medicine, part of the National Academy of Sciences, is spearheading the call for the FDA to regulate 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 Congressional request in 2008.

Sodium is important to get in proper doses

Sodium does play a vital part within the body, and according to this Health Canada page concerning sodium intake, it is directly involved in maintaining and balancing fluids. High blood pressure can be brought on by too much sodium, along with hypertension and heart disease, which is the largest killer of U.S. adults. The IOM brief pinpoints the greatest source of sodium as ordinary salt.

Key ingredient in foods not exactly Weight Watchers approved

Numerous high salt content foods are the fried, processed and preservative laden foods we’re intended to avoid. 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 might be saved over the next 10 years. The IOM states that normal intake is 3,400 milligrams daily, over twice the recommended 1,500 milligrams.

In the US the number one killer is heart disease

More Americans die due to heart disease than anything else. It has long been suspected that it is tied to our diet. Sodium intake that’s too high is known to lead to higher blood pressure, a common reason for heart disease, and a heart transplant even on the insurance of Croesus costs more than fast cash can possibly cover. If there is merit, this could be worth pursuing.

Article 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