Prevalence of Excess Sodium Intake in the United States - NHANES, 2009-2012.

Hypertension, a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, occurs among 29% of U.S. adults, and lowering excess sodium intake can reduce blood pressure (1-3). The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend consuming less than 2,300 mg dietary sodium per day for persons aged ≥14 years and less for persons aged 2-13 years.* To examine the current prevalence of excess sodium intake among Americans overall, and among hypertensive adults, CDC analyzed data from 14,728 participants aged ≥2 years in the 2009-2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Eighty-nine percent of adults and over 90% of children exceeded recommendations for sodium intake. Among hypertensive adults, 86% exceeded 2,300 mg dietary sodium per day. To address the high prevalence of excess sodium consumption in the U.S. population, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommended reducing sodium in the food supply, as excess sodium added to foods during commercial processing and preparation represents the main source of sodium intake in U.S. diets (4).