Synonyms
Definition
Salt is a dietary element made up of sodium and chlorine (U.S. National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health 2011a).
Description
A majority (90 %) of sodium consumed comes from salt (Centers for Disease Control & Prevention 2011). The body needs a small amount of sodium for fluid regulation, nerve impulse transmission, and muscle function. The kidneys are responsible for retaining sodium (if body stores are low) or excreting sodium through urine (if body stores are too high). However, if the kidneys do not excrete enough sodium, the excess sodium will accumulate in the blood. This can lead to high blood pressure, from an increase in fluid volume in the arteries, ultimately putting additional stress on the heart (Mayo Clinic 2011a; U.S. National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health 2011a).
Recommendations
For children ages 1–3, 4–8, and 9–13, the recommended daily sodium intake is ≤1,500 mg, ≤1,900 mg, and...
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References and Further Readings
American Heart Association. (2011). Sodium (salt or sodium chloride). Retrieved 15 Apr 2011, from http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/HealthyDietGoals/Sodium-Salt-or-Sodium-Chloride_UCM_303290_Article.jsp
American Heart Association Presidential Advisory. (2011). Population-wide reduction in salt consumption recommended. Retrieved 15 Apr 2011, from http://www.newsroom.heart.org/index.php?s=43%26item=1237
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. (2010). Sodium and food sources. Retrieved 15 Apr 2011, from http://www.cdc.gov/salt/food.htm
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. (2011). Sodium fact sheet. Retrieved 15 Apr 2011, from http://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fs_sodium.htm
Mayo Clinic. (2011a). Sodium: How to tame your salt habit now. Retrieved 15 Apr 2011, from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sodium/NU00284
Mayo Clinic. (2011b). Sodium: How to tame your salt habit now (continued). Retrieved 15 Apr 2011, from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sodium/NU00284/NSECTIONGROUP=2
National Cancer Institute. (2010). Sources of sodium among the US population, 2005–06. Risk factor monitoring and methods branch website. Applied Research Program. Retrieved 22 Mar 2012, from http://riskfactor.cancer.gov/diet/foodsources/sodium/
National Library of Medicine, & National Institutes of Health. (2010). Tasty stand-ins for salt. NIH Medline Plus, 5, 15.
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. (2003). Your guide to lowering high blood pressure: Healthy eating. Retrieved 15 Apr 2011, from http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/hbp/prevent/h_eating/h_eating.htm
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, & U.S. Department of Agriculture. (2010). Available at http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2010/dietaryguidelines2010.pdf
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, & U.S.Department of Agriculture. (2015–2020). Dietary guidelines for Americans (8th ed.). Dec 2015. Available at http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (2011). How to understand and use the nutrition facts label. Retrieved 15 Apr 2011, from http://www.fda.gov/food/labelingnutrition/consumerinformation/ucm078889.htm
U.S. National Library of Medicine, & National Institutes of Health (2011a). Dietary sodium. Retrieved 15 Apr 2011, from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/dietarysodium.html
U.S. National Library of Medicine, & National Institutes of Health (2011b). Sodium in diet. Retrieved 15 Apr 2011, from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002415.htm
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Doran, K. (2016). Salt, Intake. In: Gellman, M., Turner, J. (eds) Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6439-6_141-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6439-6_141-2
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