Study: CDC's Sodium Guidelines May Be Too Strict - East Idaho News

Study: CDC’s Sodium Guidelines May Be Too Strict

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Thinkstock 040114 Salt?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1396402624856iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for salt intake may be too low, researchers say, and may actually be harmful to health.

The current guidelines say that individuals under 50 years old should ingest under 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day, and that those over 50 should limit themselves to 1,500 milligrams per day.

The study, published in the American Journal of Hypertension, combined data from previous studies to form a pool of 274,683 patients. That data showed that individuals who adhered to the CDC guidelines on sodium also saw an increased risk of early death, according to the study.

Researchers say that the actual salt limits should be set at between 2,645 and 4,945 milligrams per day. On a positive note, the study noted that nearly 95 percent of the global population already falls in range of those “new” figures.

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