WASHINGTON—In a Feb. 2 statement, the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) said it supports the new U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010, which were released on Jan. 31.
"The recommendations are important to all Americans, particularly African Americans and patients with CKD,” said Stuart L. Linas, MD, FASN, Chair, ASN’s Hypertension Advisory Group. “High dietary salt worsens kidney disease in a number of ways, including causing higher blood pressure and increasing the effects of hormones, such as angiotensin, known to injure kidneys. Reducing dietary salt should reduce the number of patients requiring renal replacement therapy."
The guidelines are released every five years and are intended to provide direction on making healthy food choices to maintain an ideal weight and improve overall health.
The recommendations encourage nearly half of Americans to drastically reduce their salt intake, and specifically call on the following groups are urged to cut their salt intake to 1,500 milligrams of sodium daily: all individuals 51 and older; all African Americans; and individuals with high blood pressure, diabetes or chronic kidney disease (CKD).
High blood pressure, or hypertension, is the second leading cause of kidney failure and poses a particular threat to African Americans, who are six times as likely as whites to develop hypertension, according to ASN. Nearly 50 percent of African American adults are hypertensive.
The recommendations advise the remaining 50 percent of Americans, not included in the above group, to cut their daily sodium intake by one-third to 2,300 milligrams per day to improve their health as well.
