Consumer Health Group Sues FDA Over Salt Regulation
Restaurant Foods Comprise 75 Percent Of Salt Intake, Group Says
POSTED: 2:52 pm EST February 24, 2005
UPDATED: 6:37 pm EST February 24, 2005
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WASHINGTON -- The Center for Science in the Public Interest is sending a message: Get out the salt.
The consumer health group is filing suit against the Food and Drug Administration for what it considers the agency's failure to regulate salt content in processed foods.
Salt intake has been linked to hypertension, or high blood pressure.In a new report, the CSPI said Americans are now consuming about 4,000 milligrams of sodium per day. The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that young adults consume less than 2,300 mg of sodium per day. People with hypertension, blacks and middle-aged and elderly people are advised to consume no more than 1,500 mg per day.About 75 percent of the salt in American diets comes from processed and restaurant foods, making it hard for people to stick to a low-sodium diet, the CSPI report says."Americans spend more than $15 billion each year on drugs to treat hypertension, yet the government spends almost nothing to reduce salt consumption," CSPI executive director Michael Jacobson said in a news release.According to the report, 65 million adult Americans have high blood pressure, resulting in roughly 150,000 people dying prematurely each year.
HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
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Survey: How's Your Salt Habit?
Full CSPI Report: Salt: The Forgotten Killer Salt intake has been linked to hypertension, or high blood pressure.In a new report, the CSPI said Americans are now consuming about 4,000 milligrams of sodium per day. The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that young adults consume less than 2,300 mg of sodium per day. People with hypertension, blacks and middle-aged and elderly people are advised to consume no more than 1,500 mg per day.About 75 percent of the salt in American diets comes from processed and restaurant foods, making it hard for people to stick to a low-sodium diet, the CSPI report says."Americans spend more than $15 billion each year on drugs to treat hypertension, yet the government spends almost nothing to reduce salt consumption," CSPI executive director Michael Jacobson said in a news release.According to the report, 65 million adult Americans have high blood pressure, resulting in roughly 150,000 people dying prematurely each year.
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