Sodium intake in the U.S. exceeds dietary recommendations and has been identified as a nutrient of public health concern in the Scientific Report of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee due to its link to increased risk of hypertension, heart disease, and stroke. While authorities continue to call for people to lower their sodium intake, much progress still needs to be made and multiple solutions are necessary to meet the recommended maximum intake of 2,300 milligrams per day for the general population and 1,500 milligrams per day for at-risk groups. Two recent dietary modeling studies assessed the potential impact of a sodium reduction ingredient on sodium intake for both the general population as well as ethnic population subgroups, and extrapolated future healthcare cost savings associated with reduced blood pressure that could be achieved with reductions in sodium intake.
New research, published this month in Food Science & Nutrition, provides the most recent estimates of sodium intake among the U.S. population and assesses the potential impact of a sodium reduction technology on sodium intake via a modeling analysis. Using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007-2010 data that included over 17,000 participants, the study found that sodium reduction using Tate & Lyle's SODA-LO® Salt Microspheres could potentially decrease sodium intake by 230-300 milligrams per day or about 7-9% of total sodium intake among the U.S. population depending on age and gender group. SODA-LO® Salt Microspheres is a salt-reduction ingredient that can reduce sodium in certain foods through its technology, which turns standard salt crystals into hollow salt microspheres that efficiently deliver salt taste and functionality by maximizing surface area.
Changing consumer behavior is difficult, and some attempts to encourage individuals to lower dietary salt intake have largely proven to be ineffective. Thus, using technology like SODA-LO® Salt Microspheres could be instrumental in improving dietary intake and health among the U.S. population. The potential decrease of sodium intake by 300 milligrams per day in adults age 19-50 years is predicted to reduce systolic blood pressure by 0.45 to 0.88 mm Hg and potentially yield US$3.0 to US $5.3 billion in healthcare cost savings annually.
A second study published in Nutrition Journal also used NHANES 2007-2010 data to model the potential impact of SODA-LO® Salt Microspheres on sodium intake in ethnic population subgroups who have higher risk for hypertension and associated diseases. Based upon potential usage of SODA-LO® Salt Microspheres, there was a reduction of 185-323 milligrams sodium per day, which translates to a 6.3-8.4% reduction of current sodium intake in ethnic population subgroups, representing a meaningful reduction in these subgroups whose current intake exceeds recommendations.
"Together, these two studies demonstrate how ingredient technologies like SODA-LO® Salt Microspheres can provide immediate solutions to reducing sodium intake while meeting consumer taste preferences, and ultimately improving public health," said Michael Harrison, PhD, Senior Vice President, New Product Development, Innovation and Commercial Development at Tate & Lyle. "Tate & Lyle is committed to providing food manufacturers with effective solutions that can help consumers lower their sodium intake and meet their current health and wellness needs."
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