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- iHaveNet.com: Politics
by Michael Jacobson
Scientists have known for decades that high-sodium diets tend to raise blood pressure, and that high blood pressure causes heart attacks and strokes
Michael Jacobson is the executive director of the
Imagine the tragedy if every day for years on end a crowded jetliner crashed. Then imagine the outrage when the public learned that those tragedies had been preventable, but that the airlines and government had done nothing. Fortunately, jetliners rarely crash. But excessive salt in our food is causing several hundred preventable deaths every day--100,000 deaths each and every year. And the food industry and government have done virtually nothing.
Scientists have known for decades that high-sodium diets tend to raise blood pressure, and that high blood pressure causes heart attacks and strokes. Yet for years, the American food (and salt) industry has fended off regulation. The outspoken
Now, a small number of such studies have been done. The most telling is the Trials of Hypertension Prevention. More than a thousand people were encouraged to cut the sodium content of their diets, while a similar group served as a control group. Ten to 15 years later, the group that consumed less salt had at least a 25 percent lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
Due to the huge body of research showing that reduced sodium intake lowers the risk of heart attacks and strokes, countless health organizations have recommended that people consume less sodium. In 1979, a committee advising the
Unfortunately,
While America dithered, the British government commenced a comprehensive campaign that began with advertisements to convince the public that cutting salt intake was important. But the core of the effort was to pressure manufacturers and restaurants to lower sodium levels. Multinational companies such as Kraft,
Last month, New York City's
The ball is in the Obama administration's court. The
Read why governmental regulation of sodium is a bad idea, by John Tate, president of the Campaign for Liberty and the national political director of Ron Paul's 2008 presidential campaign.
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Why the FDA Should Regulate Salt in Foods | Politics
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