ATLANTA — A low-sodium diet may help prevent heart disease. Unfortunately, almost everyone consumes too much salt. Researchers found that 9 out of 10 heart patients take: 2 or more times Consume more salt than health guidelines recommend.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends that healthy people limit their intake to 2,300 mg of salt per day, or 1 teaspoon each day. For those battling heart disease, the guidelines are even more stringent. US dietary guidelines recommend that a patient’s intake be less than 1,500 mg per day.

Nevertheless, a new study found that the majority of Americans exceed this salt limit every day. In fact, a study of 3,100 people with heart disease found that 89% had a daily salt intake of more than 1,500 mg. Overall, the average participant with cardiovascular disease reported consuming 3,096 mg of sodium per day. This is slightly lower than the national average for daily salt intake, which is currently a whopping 3,400 mg/day, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Estimating the amount of sodium in your diet can be difficult,” Elsie Kodjoe, MD, internal medicine resident at Piedmont Athens Regional Hospital in Athens, Georgia, and lead author of the study, said in a media release. Says. “Food labels can help estimate sodium in the diet by indicating the amount of sodium in packaged foods. However, adhering to a low-sodium diet is a cardiovascular It remains difficult, even for those with the disease.”

Why is salt restriction so important for heart health?

In fact, sodium is an essential nutrient that is part of a balanced, healthy diet. As StudyFinds nutritionist Shaila Cadogan explains, salt isn’t “bad”; it’s needed for proper muscle contraction and relaxation, fluid and mineral balance, and proper nerve signaling. Problems begin when you use too much of this delicious seasoning.

Kodjoe and his team say that consuming too much salt can increase blood pressure, damage blood vessels and make the heart work harder. Eating too much salt can cause your body to retain excess water, which can further worsen conditions such as heart failure.

“The relatively small difference in sodium intake means that people with cardiovascular disease restrict their sodium intake less than the general population and consume more than twice the recommended amount. “This suggests that there is,” Kodjoe added. “To help patients adhere to dietary guidelines, we need to find more practical ways for the general public to estimate dietary sodium levels, or to estimate the sodium content of foods that we consume directly from the source. We need to consider reducing it.”

Everyone is eating too much salt

This study compared sodium intake in diverse populations with cardiovascular disease. They have all been diagnosed with heart attack, stroke, heart failure, coronary artery disease, or angina pectoris in the past. Even after looking at certain factors such as age, gender, race, and education, there were no significant differences in the amount of salt people consumed each day. Simply put, the vast majority of people, regardless of their background, consume too much salt.

So what can people do to avoid salt? Researchers recommend preparing more meals at home. This gives people more control over the amount of seasoning they use in their food. Paying close attention to food labels when shopping can also be helpful. Benchmarks for sodium in foods include: 140mg or less per serving.

“Cardiovascular disease is real and, according to the World Health Organization, it is the number one cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide,” concludes Kodjoe. “Adhering to sodium guidelines is one strategy that individuals can easily adopt to reduce hospitalizations, medical costs, and morbidity and mortality associated with cardiovascular disease,” he said.

The researchers are presenting their findings at the American College of Cardiology’s annual scientific sessions.