Salt consumption by Australian adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis
File(s)Salt Consumption.pdf (1005.52 KB)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Salt reduction is a public health priority because it is a leading contributor to the global burden of disease. As in Australia there is uncertainty about the current level of salt intake, we sought to estimate current levels. STUDY DESIGN: Random effects meta-analysis of data from 31 published studies and one unpublished dataset that reported salt or sodium consumption by Australian adults on the basis of 24-hour urine collections or dietary questionnaires. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE (via Ovid) and EMBASE (to August 2016). DATA SYNTHESIS: Thirty-one published studies and one unpublished dataset (1989-2015; 16 836 individuals) were identified. The mean weighted salt consumption estimated from 24-hour urine collections was 8.70 g/day (95% CI, 8.39-9.02 g/day); after adjusting for non-urinary salt excretion, the best estimate of salt intake in Australia is 9.6 g/day. The mean weighted intake was 10.1 g/day (95% CI, 9.68-10.5 g/day) for men and 7.34 g/day (95% CI, 6.98-7.70 g/day) for women. Mean weighted consumption was 6.49 g/day (95% CI, 5.94-7.03 g/day) when measured with diet diaries, 6.76 g/day (95% CI, 5.48-8.05 g/day) when assessed with food frequency questionnaires, and 6.73 g/day (95% CI, 6.34-7.11) when assessed by dietary recall. Salt intake had not decreased between 1989 and 2015 (R<sup>2</sup> = -0.02; P = 0.36). CONCLUSION: Salt intake in Australian adults exceeds the WHO-recommended maximum of 5 g/day and does not appear to be declining. Measuring salt intake with methods based on self-reporting can substantially underestimate consumption. The data highlight the need for ongoing action to reduce salt consumption in Australia and robust monitoring of population salt intake.
Date Issued
2018-02-05
Date Acceptance
2017-10-24
Citation
Medical Journal of Australia, 2018, 208 (2), pp.75-81
ISSN
1326-5377
Publisher
Australasian Medical Publishing Company Ltd
Start Page
75
End Page
81
Journal / Book Title
Medical Journal of Australia
Volume
208
Issue
2
Copyright Statement
© 2018 AMPCo Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. This is the accepted version of the following article: Land, M. , Neal, B. C., Johnson, C. , Nowson, C. A., Margerison, C. and Petersen, K. S. (2018), Salt consumption by Australian adults: a systematic review and meta‐analysis. Medical Journal of Australia, 208: 75-81, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.5694/mja17.00394
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29385968
PII: 10.5694/mja17.00394
Subjects
Diet
Hypertension
Population health
Salt
Adult
Australia
Body Mass Index
Diet
Feeding Behavior
Female
Health Behavior
Humans
Hypertension
Male
Middle Aged
Nutrition Assessment
Nutrition Policy
Sodium Chloride, Dietary
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
Australia
Date Publish Online
2018-01-29