Dietary salt intake in the Australian population

Abstract

Objective: To update the estimate of mean salt intake for the Australian population made by the Australian Health Survey (AHS). Design: A secondary analysis of the data collected in a cross-sectional survey was conducted. Estimates of salt intake were made in Lithgow using the 24 h diet recall methodology employed by the AHS as well as using 24 h urine collections. The data from the Lithgow sample were age-and sex-weighted, to provide estimates of daily salt intake for the Australian population based upon (i) the diet recall data and (ii) the 24 h urine samples. Setting: Lithgow, New South Wales, Australia. Subjects: Individuals aged ≥20 years residing in Lithgow and listed on the 2009 federal electoral roll. Results: Mean (95 % CI) salt intake estimated from the 24 h diet recalls was 6·4 (6·2, 6·7) g/d for the Lithgow population compared with a corresponding figure of 6·2 g/d for the Australian population derived from the AHS. The corresponding estimate of salt intake for Lithgow adults based upon the 24 h urine collections was 9·0 (8·6, 9·4) g/d. When the age-and sex-specific estimates of salt intake obtained from the 24 h urine collections in the Lithgow sample were weighted using Australian census data, estimated salt intake for the Australian population was 9·0 (8·6, 9·5) g/d. Further adjustment for non-urinary Na excretion made the best estimate of daily salt intake for both Lithgow and Australia about 9·9 g/d. Conclusions: The dietary recall method used by the AHS likely substantially underestimated mean population salt consumption in Australia.

The Science of Salt: Updating the evidence on global estimates of salt intake

“…The proportion of males and females were nearly equal across all studies, and age ranged between 18 and 90 years. The majority of studies used 24-hour urine volume and creatinine to assess the completeness of 24-hour urine collection 16,17,[19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27] ; while two studies used para-amino benzoic acid (PABA). 28,29 Details on the representativeness of each study are presented in Table 1 (with references).…”

Relationship between 24‐hour urinary sodium excretion and blood pressure in the adult population in Shandong, China

“…Third, urinary sodium was estimated by a single 24‐hour urine collection, which may be less accurate compared with two or three successive days collection due to the daily individual variability. However, a single urine measurement is identified as a more reliable measure of sodium intake than diet recall . Furthermore, considering the limited number of participants in this study, it is important to recognize that our study does not have enough statistical power for subgroup analysis.…”

A High-Salt Diet Promotes Phosphorylated Tau and Cognitive Decline in Mice

“…Additional research in younger human populations will also be important, given that most studies to date have focused on older age groups, and following evidence from rodent studies that the detrimental effects of salt are more pronounced in older than younger animals. 29 A final target for future research is to continue to refine methods of estimating salt intake, given that self-report measures yield substantially lower estimates than 24-h urine collection methods, 20,42 which are also not well matched to oneoff 'spot' urine assessments. 43…”