"Our sodium intake is regulated by the brain, and your brain won't let you go very far outside of that boundary," the Bee quoted study co-author David McCarron. "You may eat that whole bag of chips, but it just means that as you sit down you'll unconsciously go toward foods that are lower in sodium."
McCarron conducted the research with Judith Stern, an ANR academic. She said lawmakers should focus on more pressing public health issues, such as childhood obesity, instead of salt intake.
"They need to work on setting priorities," the Bee quoted Stern.
For the study, the researchers aggregated sodium intake data from 20,000 adults in 32 countries. They found the adult range of sodium intake to be between 2,700 to 4,900 milligrams of sodium a day, according to the article. Because the data includes many different dietary cultures, researchers concluded that humans, on their own, maintain a "normal" range of salt intake.
However, Bee reporter Anna Tong found several experts who take issue with the study's conclusions.
- The findings are scientifically plausible, "But as a consumer I don't believe it," - Christopher D. Gardner, an associate professor at Stanford Medical School
- "All experts agree that our current levels of sodium intake are causing heart attacks and strokes. This study is really an outlier." - Michael Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest
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