Global Sodium Consumption and Death from Cardiovascular Causes

The authors estimate that in 2010, a total of 1.65 million deaths from cardiovascular causes occurred as a result of excess sodium consumption. They assess correlations between sodium consumption and blood pressure and between blood pressure and cardiovascular events. A high dietary intake of sodium is associated with elevated blood pressure, a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. 1 , 2 The United Nations, 3 World Health Organization, 4 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other organizations have emphasized the relationship between dietary sodium and cardiovascular outcomes. 3 – 7 Yet the global effects of sodium consumption and the heterogeneity of these effects according to age, sex, and country have not been clearly established. Rates of sodium-associated cardiovascular disease have been estimated for only selected countries, 8 – 14 and these rates are often based on self-reported diet, without estimates of salt intake, or without considering . . .