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Excess sodium intake is associated with between 10% and 30% of CVD mortality, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open. Hyung-Suk Yoon, PhD, MPH, and colleagues examined the associations of excessive dietary sodium with all-cause and cause-specific mortality among predominantly low-income Black and White Americans. The cohort study included 64,329 participants aged 40 to 79 years. The study team recruited patients from 12 Southeastern states between 2002 and 2009. The researchers found that mean dietary sodium intake was 4,512 and 4,041 mg/day in Black and White individuals, respectively; 81.2% and 79.5% of Black and White individuals, respectively, exceeded the current dietary recommendations of 2,300 mg/day. Dr. Yoon and colleagues documented 17,811 deaths during a median follow-up of 13.8 years, including 5,701 from CVD. The hazard ratios per 1,000-mg increase in daily sodium intake were 1.07 and 1.08 for deaths from total CVD and coronary heart disease (CHD), respectively, in Black individuals, and 1.08 and 1.13, respectively, in White individuals, after adjustment for potential confounders. Researchers found no significant associations with cancer mortality. They concluded that sodium intake above the recommended threshold may account for 10%, 13%, and 30% of total CVD, CHD, and heart failure deaths, respectively, in this low-income Southern population.
