Most Canadians consume far more salt in their daily diet than recommended, according to a new study from Statistics Canada.
The study found the upper limit was surpassed by more than 85 per cent of men aged 19 to 70, and 60 per cent of women.
The "tolerable upper intake levels" for sodium, established by the Washington, D.C.-based Institute of Medicine range from 1,500 to 2,200 milligrams a day for children aged one to three, to a maximum of 2,300 mg for people aged 14 or older.
The study found that in 2004, the average for all Canadians was 3,092 mg of sodium a day -- one-third more than the maximum.
Even young children consumed too much.
Children aged one to three averaged close to 2,000 mg a day in 2004. In this age group, 77 per cent of children exceeded the recommended daily limit.
Sodium consumption exceeded the recommended levels throughout the country, but two provinces stood out: Quebec and British Columbia. There, the average daily intake for people aged one or older was around 3,300 mg.
Ontario was the only province where daily sodium consumption was below the national average. There, intake averaged 2,871 mg. But that is still above the recommended level.
Exceeding the recommended limits of salt can increase the risks of adverse health effects, especially those linked to hypertension (high blood pressure), warned Kevin Willis of the Canadian Stroke Network.
"If you were able to go from current levels of sodium and drop down to the recommended levels, research shows that you should be able to drop your blood pressure ... that would translate to a 15 to 20 per cent reduction of your risk of stroke," Willis told CTV Newsnet.
A relatively small grouping of foods accounted for close to a third of all the sodium Canadians consumed in 2004. The "sandwich" category (pizza, sandwiches, submarines, hamburgers, hot dogs) led the way, representing 19 per cent of sodium intake.
This was followed by soups (7 per cent) and pasta dishes (6 per cent).
The study used data from the 2004 Canadian Community Health Survey. The amount of salt people added to their food was not measured by the CCHS, and it was not included in daily sodium intake.
Even so, the people whose diets contained the most sodium were also the most likely to report adding salt to their food "very often." They averaged 3,396 mg of sodium a day. In contrast, people who reported "never" adding salt to their food averaged 2,927 mg.
"Even if you were to cut out the salty snacks and sprinkling salt on your food, unfortunately because it's added to so many of the food products we consume, it would still be difficult to reduce your levels," Willis said.
He suggested avoiding food products that provide more than 20 per cent of the daily value of recommended sodium.
"What's really needed is for the food industry to work with government and health organizations to get the levels of sodium in our food supply down. That's really what's needed -- it's an across-the-board cut in the sodium in our food supply," Willis said.
