Sodium

LONG-TERM OBJECTIVE

The Committee on Sodium works to compile and disseminate state-of-the-science information on sodium consumption and its health outcomes.

CURRENT ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS

The sodium and health debate has escalated over the past decade. ILSI North America identified the critical need to not only establish baseline sodium intakes, but to also consider the impact of potassium, which attenuates the effect of sodium on blood pressure. Utilizing national survey data, ILSI North America documented dietary intake levels and food sources of sodium, including processed and unprocessed foods, and whether the foods are consumed at or away from home. These timely resources are being disseminated in two papers, and were presented to the National Academies of Science panel on reducing sodium in the food supply, the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, the Pan American Health Organization, to registered dietitians at the annual meeting of the American Dietetic Association (ADA) in 2009, as well as to attendees of the 2010 Experimental Biology meeting.

In addition to these and future scientific sessions, the committee supported a new project in 2011 on “Helping Americans Achieve 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Potassium and Sodium.” A session on this topic at the ADA’s Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo 2011 in San Diego, California, in October addressed the feasibility of meeting the 2010 Dietary Guidelines given the current food supply and eating patterns of Americans. For more information, please visit the session description at ADA's website here.

Peer-reviewed publications resulting from this effort include the following manuscripts:

"A Conflict Between Nutritionally Adequate Diets and Meeting the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Sodium," which has been accepted by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine;
"The Sodium Potassium Ratio in the US Diet 1971–2008”; and
"The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Potassium and Sodium Cannot Be Met Simultaneously: A Linear Programming Analysis.”

PUBLICATIONS

COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Campbell Soup Company
Cargill, Incorporated
ConAgra Foods, Inc.
General Mills Inc.
H.J. Heinz Company
Hillshire Brands
Kellogg Co.
Kraft Foods Group
Mars, Incorporated
Mondelēz International
Nestlé USA
Tate & Lyle
Unilever

SCIENTIFIC ADVISORS

John DeSimone, PhD
Virginia Commonwealth University

Suzanne Harris, PhD
International Life Sciences Institute

Christine Taylor, PhD
National Institutes of Health
Office of Dietary Supplements

STAFF CONTACT

Courtney Gaine, PhD, RD
Science Program Manager
ILSI North America
1156 15th Street, NW
Suite 200
Washington, DC 20005
Tel: 202.659.0074 (ext. 121)
Fax: 202.659.3859
cgaine@ilsi.org

Download the Committee on Sodium fact sheet here.