Docs Push for Less Salt in Processed Foods
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14 June, 2006  19:50 GMT
 'Salt is bad even if you don't have high blood pressure,' said Dr. Chris Hawk, a member of the council that wrote the resolution on salt.
The
American Medical Association, meeting in Chicago, is considering a call for a 50 percent reduction in salt in processed foods.
The AMA House of Delegates is expected to vote on a resolution this week that would also ask the US
Food and Drug Administration to demand better information on salt on labels, the Chicago Tribune reports.
Salt Is Bad
The current recommendation for adults is that salt intake not exceed 2,300 milligrams a day or less than one-tenth of an ounce. But the AMA says that most US adults consume more than 4,000 milligrams.
Doctors say that high salt intake contributes to deaths from heart disease and stroke. Some AMA. members even want the FDA to withdraw its description of salt as generally recognized as safe.
"We realize salt is bad even if you don't have high blood pressure," said Dr. Chris Hawk, a member of the council that wrote the resolution on salt. "We need to get the word out to the public, but we need to encourage and work with the food manufacturers to lower what is generally accepted."
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