Spare The Salt And Save 150,000 Lives

(AP)  The nation's largest public health group is recommending a 50 percent decrease in salt in processed food and restaurant meals over the next 10 years.

The American Public Health Association said the reduction could save 150,000 lives a year from strokes, heart attacks and other illnesses linked to high blood pressure.

Government guidelines already recommend limiting intake of sodium — which increases blood pressure — to no more than 2.4 grams daily, or the equivalent of about a teaspoon of table salt. But the average American adult consumes nearly 4 grams a day, according to the association.

A resolution passed Tuesday at the health association's annual meeting in Philadelphia urges a collaboration with food manufacturers to meet the goal.

"Americans are consuming an ever-increasing amount of processed foods high in sodium at home, at work, at school and in restaurants," said Dr. Stephen Havas, the lead author of the new policy. "The excess sodium in these foods is unnecessary and leads to a large, preventable toll of hypertension, premature death and disability."

About 50 million U.S. adults have high blood pressure, or hypertension. About 710,000 die annually from heart disease and more than 166,000 die of stroke, according to government statistics.

"Appealing to individuals as well as to industry to take simple but effective steps to limit sodium in our diets will yield measurable results in lowering Americans' risk for cardiovascular diseases and related conditions," said Dr. Claude Lenfant, director of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

Alison Kretser, director of scientific and nutrition policy for the Grocery Manufacturers of America, said the policy should have had a broader focus. A diet rich in fruits, vegetables and dairy products could also help lower blood pressure, she said.

"My concern is that just reducing the sodium levels in diets becomes very unpalatable," she said. "People may potentially feel discouraged and deprived."