 The February 18, 2010 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine published an editorial by Welch Center core faculty members Lawrence Appel, MD, MPH, and Cheryl A.M. Anderson, PhD, MPH. Their piece, titled “Compelling Evidence for Public Health Action to Reduce Salt Intake” identifies two approaches to reducing salt intake—individuals’ dietary choices and “a public health approach, in which food manufacturers reduce levels of salt in processed and prepared foods.” They argue that public health initiatives to lower salt intake, such as those undertaken in several other countries, ought to be undertaken in the U.S.
Dr. Appel and Dr. Anderson refer to new research and established findings concerning the health benefits of cutting down on salt in food, as well as to the alarming extent of the health problems such as elevated blood pressure and cardiovascular disease that are associated with excess salt intake. The authors point out that amid the national discussion of the future of health care, policymakers should not  ignore that public health interventions to reduce salt intake represent an “inexpensive,
yet highly effective public health intervention for the prevention of disease.”
Click on the article title above to read the complete editorial.
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