By Elizabeth Ladzinski
DNAinfo/Elizabeth Ladzinski
MANHATTAN — New Yorkers eat far more salt than is healthy for them, a study released by the city's health department claims.
The department's research found an average New Yorker's sodium intake is 3,150 mg per day — twice the recommended 1,500 mg a day limit.
While New Yorkers are at par with the nation in terms of salt consumption, the health department calls the number "alarmingly high," adding that of all New Yorkers, only 1 in 5 consumes within their recommended limit.
Eating less than 1,500 mg per day is most important for high-risk adults: those who are over 51 years old, blacks and those with hypertension, diabetes or chronic kidney disease.
The study was the first in the nation to use the most accurate method of testing sodium intake through urine samples, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said.
According to the study, New Yorkers's sodium overload is not coming from salt shakers. Nearly 80 percent of the nation's salt is added to foods before they are sold, with only 11 percent coming from at-home cooking.
The most immediate benefit of reducing salt intake is lower blood pressure, which is a major preventable risk factor for heart disease and stroke, according to the health department.
In response, companies including Bertucci's Italian Restaurant, Black Bear European Style Deli, Campbell Soup Company, Dietz & Watson, Ken's Foods, Snyder's-Lance, Inc., and Target Corporation have agreed to lower amounts of salt in their foods as part of a "National Salt Reduction Initiative."
