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If you're like most Americans, probably yes.
Sodium, which comes mainly from salt, is essential to health, but most of us get much more than we need. The new 10M guidelines define a range of daily sodium intakes, with 1,500 milligrams (mg) deemed adequate for good health (less for older people) and 2,300 mg the maximum you can consume without possibly increasing your risk of high blood pressure, particularly if you have risk factors (see next question). Unfortunately, more than 75 percent of sodium comes from processed and restaurant foods, so reducing intake to the 1,500-mg level requires making almost all meals at home, from scratch. Even the 2,300-mg upper limit isn't easy to maintain; only about 25 percent of American women and almost no men come close to staying below it. For many people, ingesting too much sodium could lead to high blood pressure-a serious risk factor in heart disease and stroke. Some studies suggest a link between high sodium intake and other diseases, such as stomach cancer and the worsening of asthma. And because sodium increases the excretion of calcium into the urine, it could increase bone loss and the risk of kidney stones.
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