Sodium and Other Nutrients Important to Blood Pressure : Part 2

by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

(Page 2 of 2)

Other Nutrients

Hypertensives also may be interested in label information about potassium, calcium and magnesium. According to the Joint National Committee's report, evidence suggests that these nutrients may play a role in reducing the risk of high blood pressure. For this reason, nutrition experts often encourage people with hypertension to increase their intakes of these nutrients.

Information about a food's potassium and magnesium content is required on the Nutrition Facts panel only if the food contains added potassium or magnesium as a nutrient or if claims about those nutrients appear on the label. In all other cases, it is voluntary. When listed, potassium must appear below sodium on the Nutrition Facts panel, and magnesium must be shown in the list of vitamins and minerals.

The Daily Value for potassium is 3,500 mg. For magnesium, it's 400 mg.

Information about calcium is mandatory. It, too, appears in the list of vitamins and minerals. The Daily Value for calcium is 1 gram (g), or 1,000 mg.

Daily Values

The place to begin is the "%Daily Value" column under Nutrition Facts. This column contains numbers that show whether a food is high or low in the nutrients listed. For people with high blood pressure, the %Daily Value for sodium is especially important.

If the %Daily Value for sodium is 5 or less, the food is considered low in that nutrient. So, the goal should be to select, as much as possible, foods that have a %Daily Value for sodium of 5 or less. The goal for the full day's diet should be to select foods that together add up to no more than 100 percent of the Daily Value for sodium.

People with high blood pressure also may want to check the %Daily Values for fat, fiber, calcium, and, if listed, potassium and magnesium. The goal for the full day's diet should be to select foods that together add up to no more than 100 percent of the Daily Value for fat and at least 100 percent for fiber and calcium.

Serving Size

Serving size information is important, too. It tells the amount of the food, stated in both common household and metric measures, to which all other numbers apply.

Under the new regulations, serving sizes are designed to reflect the actual amounts that most people eat, although they are not necessarily the amounts recommended by various health groups.

Also, the serving size must be about the same for like products — for example, different brands of potato chips — and for similar products within a category of foods — for example, potato chips, pretzels, and popcorn within the category "snacks." This makes it easier to compare the nutritional qualities of related foods.

Other Information

The Nutrition Facts panel also gives the amount in milligrams of a food's sodium content. This information can help consumers who monitor the milligrams of sodium they consume.

The Daily Values for other nutrients are helpful, too, because they can help consumers determine how nutritious a food is overall. Whether the %Daily Values are for nutrients most people should limit — for example, saturated fat and cholesterol — or eat more of — for example, total carbohydrate, fiber, vitamin A, and calcium — the %Daily Values tell at a glance how the food compares nutritionally to others.

Food Label Claims

On some food packages, claims describing the food's nutritional benefits may appear. Often, they will show up on the front of the package where shoppers can readily see them.

Nutrient claims — like "sodium-free," "salt-free," and "very low sodium" — describe desirable levels of nutrients in the food.

Relative nutrient claims compare a product to the "regular" version of the food or to a similar food. For example, a "reduced-sodium" claim on the label of canned spaghetti sauce means the food has at least 25 percent less sodium than regular canned spaghetti sauce. A claim of "light in sodium" on canned spaghetti sauce means the sodium has been reduced by at least 50 percent.

Other claims simply show that a food is high or low in a nutrient, without any particular comparisons to other products. For example, "low-sodium" means the food has 140 mg or less per serving. "Very low sodium" means it has 35 mg or less per serving.

Also, health claims may be made about the relationship between a nutrient or food and a disease or health-related condition. Only those health claims authorized by FDA may appear because they're the only ones supported by substantial scientific evidence.

The claim that diets low in sodium may reduce the risk of high blood pressure is an authorized claim. This claim can appear only on products that meet the definition of "low-sodium" and that provide 20 percent or less of the Daily Value for fat, saturated fat and cholesterol per serving. FDA incorporated this requirement so that low-sodium foods would not be counterproductive by being high in other components that contribute to heart disease.

Whatever the source — health claims, nutrient claims, or the Nutrition Facts panel — consumers, especially those restricting their sodium intake, will find that the new food label puts an end to the guessing games they may have played before. Instead, they'll see that the label gives them more complete, accurate information to help them make more healthful food choices.

About the Author

www.fda.gov
FDA is A United States government body that oversees medical devices, including contact lenses, intraocular lenses, excimer lasers and eyedrops. In the US, these products must be approved by the FDA before they can be marketed.