How much sodium do we really consume?
Updated: Dec. 08, 2014
Excessive sodium intake is contributing to a high rate of cardiovascular disease. Here’s a look at sodium consumption around the world
Source: Best Health magazine, November/December 2014
1.6 million: That’s the number of cardiovascular-related deaths worldwide per year that can be attributed to too much sodium consumption. The World Health Organization recommends no more than 2,000 milligrams daily. (Health Canada currently recommends from 1,500 to no more than 2,300 mg daily for adults up to age 50.) Yet a study published in August in The New England Journal of Medicine found that the mean amount consumed by Canadians is 3,600 mg daily! Here’s how that compares with other regions surveyed, starting from highest to lowest:
Eastern and Central Europe/Central Asia = 4,500 mg
Southeast Asia/East Asia = 4,100 mg
Middle East/North Africa = 3,900 mg
Western Europe = 3,800 mg
South Asia = 3,700 mg
Canada/U.S. = 3,600 mg
Australia/New Zealand = 3,400 mg
Caribbean/Latin America = 3,200 mg
Sub-Saharan Africa = 2,500 mg
