Recent Research on Salt, Fast Food, and Calorie Counts

Are we consuming too much salt, and how much is too much? Has fast food become more healthful in response to consumer concerns? Despite its bad reputation, are Americans still eating a lot of fast food?  Are calorie counts affecting our menu choices in restaurants? Let's see what recent research has to say.

SALT (Sodium):

How much salt do people actually consume? For decades, the average daily sodium consumption in the U.S. and worldwide has remained at roughly 3,400 milligrams. You've probably read or heard that the U.S. national dietary guidelines recommend 1,500 -2,300 milligrams of sodium per day.  The 1,500 figure, says the New York Times, is "a little more than half a teaspoon."  Why so little?  It was claimed that a limit of 1,500 would help prevent heart attacks and strokes in at-risk groups such as people more than age 50, blacks, and those with diabetes, high blood pressure, or kidney disease.  The article points out that, when these groups are added together, they include more than half of the U.S. population!  To make matters worse, some organizations (The American Heart Association included) have recommended that EVERYONE strive for the 1,500 milligram limit.  That's not easy, especially for those who eat out a lot and don't know how much sodium is in the food they're served.

Now, a new committee of experts, created by the Institute of Medicine at the request of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (the CDC) has contradicted this advice.  In a May 14, 2013 article, the New York Times reported the committee's conclusion, "that there was no rationale for anyone to aim for sodium levels below 2,300 milligrams a day."  Even more surprising, the chairman of the committee (Dr. Brian L. Strom) explained that, not only is there an absence of evidence of benefits, there are also suggestions of possible harm to some subgroups when salt intake is low.  What harm?  Possible increased rates of heart attacks and higher death rate, the result of a plunge in triglyceride levels, a rise in insulin resistance, and other factors, according to Dr. Michael H. Alderman, a dietary sodium expert.

The committee did not feel that it had sufficient data to provide a recommendation of a healthful upper limit for sodium intake, but Dr. Strom did agree that people shouldn't eat too much salt.

But wait. Don't put that salt shaker back on the table.  If you're consuming as much sodium as the average American, which the Tufts Health & Nutrition Letter says is 3,600 milligrams a day, it's probably too much.  Researchers from the University of California-San Francisco (paraphrased in the Tufts article) say that great gains in public health could be achieved by a reduction to 2,200 milligrams. (Specifically, they predict a half million lives saved over 10 years by reducing salt intake by 4%.  That's impressive.)  These researchers say that cutting to 1,500 isn't practical, but, by reducing the sodium in processed and commercially prepared foods, improvement could be attained.  It's been done abroad, for example in the UK and in Finland, and the U.S. could do it, too.  This suggests that either the producers of prepared food must cooperate, or people need to prepare more of their food at home.  If both happened, the benefits might be even more dramatic.

So, is it a good idea to switch to a salt substitute?  Shelf Life Advice discusses this in the following article: "What about salt substitutes? Are they safe and as tasty as salt?"

Fast Food:

The website Lifelong Health recently posted this BAD NEWS: in the past 14 years, fast food has made only small improvements toward selling healthier food.  This news is disappointing considering the fact that more than 25% of American adults eat fast food 2 - 3 times a week. 

The authors of the study used the USDA's Healthy Eating Index to evaluate the nutritional quality of the menu items.  The menus evaluated were from these 8 fast-food chains: McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, Taco Bell, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Arby's, Jack in the Box, and Dairy Queen.  The menus being compared were those from 1997-98 to 2009-10.  Nutrition scores did not change for fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, and oils.  There was improvement in the scores for meat, saturated fat, and calories from solid fats and added sugars.  However, milk/dairy and sodium got worse scores. 

Lead investigator of this study was Mary Hearst, associate professor of public health at St. Catherine University in St .Paul, Minnesota.

But here's some GOOD NEWS about fast food:  We're eating less of it, the Tufts Health and Nutrition Letter reported. The CDC recently presented these results from its latest survey: From 2007-2010, American adults got more than 11% of their calories from fast food restaurants, but from 2003-2006, that figure was almost 13%.  Moreover, the statistics suggests that good judgment, and income increase with age: The age group from 20-29 consumed more than 15% of their daily calories from fast food; for  those age 60 or over, the figure was 6%. 

Posted Calorie Counts:

According to the Environmental Nutrition June 2013 newsletter, posting calorie counts in restaurants is having a modest good effect upon the food choices of customers.  Over a 2-week period, researchers studied restaurant customers eating from one of three menus: a menu without calorie information, a menu listing calorie counts, or a third menu with traffic lights that symbolized calorie counts (green for items under 400 calories, yellow for 401-800, and red for selections with more than 800 calories).

Here were the results:  Those using the menu without calorie counts selected the meals that contained 817 calories.   Those using the menu with calorie counts chose 765-calorie meals. Those using the traffic-lights menu consumed 696 calories if they ate the entire portion.  The difference may look small, but the researchers pointed out that these reductions in calories add up over time. The study was conducted by Oklahoma State University and published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. 

What about you?  Do you notice calorie counts on menus?  Are your choices influenced by them?  We'd like your comments. 

Source(s):

The New York Times Health section "No Benefit Seen in Sharp Limits on Salt in Diet," May 14, 2013.

lifelonghealth.com  "Fast Food Hasn't Gotten Much Healthier, Study Says"

http://www.lifelonghealth.com/healthy-aging-articles/420-fast-food-hasn-t-gotten-much-healthier-study-says 

Environmental Nutrition "Posting Calories at Restaurants Found Successful," June 2013.

Tufts Health & Nutrition Letter "Newsbites" May 2013.