Pizza, soup, chicken among biggest sources of sodium for Americans
But beyond the common love for pizza, soup and chicken, the ways different groups of Americans consume too much sodium vary widely, researchers found. Photo by Brett Jordan/ Pexels
These days Americans can agree on few things, but unfortunately, pizza, soup and chicken aren't among them, a new study says.
Those three foods are some of the main sources of sodium for Americans of all racial and ethnic groups, contributing to high blood pressure and heart disease in the United States, researchers reported Wednesday in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
But beyond the common love for pizza, soup and chicken, the ways different groups of Americans consume too much sodium vary widely, researchers found.
For example, Asian American adults are more likely to add salt in their cooking, but less likely to sprinkle it at the table, results show.
Meanwhile, Black Americans are more likely to try to reduce their salt intake, often on the advice of their doctor, researchers say.
The average American consumes about 3,400 milligrams of sodium a day, far above the American Heart Association's recommended 2,300 mg. for healthy people and 1,500 mg. for those with high blood pressure, researchers said in background notes.
"The World Health Organization calls sodium reduction one of the most cost-effective strategies for addressing chronic conditions such as heart disease," said lead researcher Jessica Cheng, a postdoctoral research fellow in epidemiology at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston.
"High sodium intake can even affect non-heart-related diseases like kidney disease," she added in a news release.
For the study, researchers analyzed data gathered by a federal survey on health and nutrition from 2017 to 2020, to see what racial and ethnic differences there might be when it comes to sodium intake.
Results showed that pizza, soup and chicken were among the top 10 sources of sodium for every racial and ethnic group in America.
After that, the top sources of sodium tended to vary widely:
Four culturally unique foods accounted for more than 14% of daily sodium for Asian Americans -- soy sauce, fish, stir-fry sauces and fried rice/chow mein dishes.
Mixed dishes represented unique top sources of sodium for Mexican Americans, including enchiladas, tamales, gorditas, chimichangas, quesadillas, fajitas and chiles relleños.
Chicken patties, nuggets and tenders are among the top sodium sources for Black Americans.
However, there's some potentially good news. Prior studies might have overestimated how much sodium Asian Americans get by assuming that the rice they eat is salted, researchers said.
"Culturally, not all Asians salt plain rice," Cheng said. "If they don't add salt to rice when cooking, then their sodium intake is among the lowest across all racial and ethnic groups."
Regardless of a person's background, cutting back on salt will boost their health, she said.
"Based on these findings, I suggest varying your diet and adding more potassium-rich foods such as vegetables, which can also help reduce blood pressure," Cheng said. "You don't have to avoid pizza completely; eat it less often or try making it at home with low-sodium cheese, dough and tomato sauce you make from scratch."
The knowledge gathered in the new study "is critical for health professionals counseling patients on how they can reduce sodium in their lives and within their families," American Heart Association spokesman Dr. Stephen Juraschek said in a news release.
"Interventions targeting sodium reduction should account for differences among groups and tailor to patients' unique needs," added Juraschek, who was not involved in the study.
More information
The American Heart Association has tips on shaking the salt habit.
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