Perspective of Food and Drug Administration on Dietary sodium.

The sodium and potassium content of typical American diets of infants, toddlers, and adults was determined, both for total content and for content at the commodity group level, by chemical analysis of representative diets from 1977 through 1980. In recent years the scientific community has reached a consensus that high sodium intake is positively associated with hypertension. Various professional groups urge the American public to reduce their sodium intake. Several monitoring initiatives of the Food and Drug Administration relative to sodium in the national food supply are discussed.