Are you eating too much sodium

[DCUK NewsBot]

A study has found that most patients with diabetes do not know how much salt they should be consuming, with many eating too much. Kristy Gray, a researcher with the University of South Australia School of Pharmacy and Medical Science, co-authored the study and found that salt intake was not a serious concern among participants. Diabetes and salt Gray studied 143 patients with diabetes, with over 80 per cent aware that processed foods, such as pizza, were high in sodium. Sodium is 2.5 x 1g of salt. However, only 30 per cent considered white bread and cheese as foods with high salt levels. Most of the participants, in fact almost half, were more concerned about their sugar consumption. 41 patients were more concerned about saturated fat, with 35 saying their biggest concern in general was their fat intake. Only 10 participants, however, viewed sodium as the highest dietary concern. Subsequently, many were taking in too much sodium in their diet, with type 2 diabetes patients taking in comparatively more salt than women and those with type 1 diabetes. Diabetes guidelines All adults should eat no more than 6g of salt a day, as recommended by the Department of Health. An increased intake of sodium - 2.4g is equivalent to 6g of salt - can lead to complications for those with diabetes, including high blood pressure and risk of a stroke. Vigilantly managing processed food intake can keep blood pressure down in patients with both type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes, which should be specifically noted when eating high-fat foods such as pizza.

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