Correlations between dietary salt intake and 24-h urine sodium excretion in a sample of the urban population of Cáceres

Objective: Excessive salt intake is associated with higher levels of AHT and prevalence of cardiovascular diseases. WHO recommends consuming less than 5 g/day of salt (equivalent to 2 g Na+/day). Identifying foods and behaviours with greater contribution to excess intake would facilitate preventive dietary advice. Design: Observational study. Site: Urban Health Center in Cáceres. Main measurements: We estimated salt consumption using two food consumption frequency (FFQ) questionnaires, one generic and one with high Na+ content, and a 24 h follow-up survey. We use the Evalfinut program for nutritional evaluation of the diet. We analyzed correlations between estimated salt intake and 24-h urine sodium elimination (gold standard). Results: 92% of the population had consumption higher than the recommendations with intakes equivalent to 9.5 g/day of salt (3.7 g/d of Na+). When sodium intake is determined by the Na+/K+ ratio, 79.54% have high intakes. Sodium elimination follows a slightly increasing trend with BMI. The perception of salt consumption is low, 56.3% consider it “adequate”. 32.4% add salt to food once served. FFQ underestimate Na+ intake and targeted surveys provide higher values. The correlation between FFQ and Na+ urinary elimination is weak. Conclusion: We must reduce salt intake by increasing the perception of consumption, improving knowledge about the salt content in food and identifying target patients of the health council.(AU)