Baking & Snack - October 2006 - 89

to Promote a Healthy Diet." This stated
that, for the general population, insufficient evidence exists that reducing
dietary sodium intake would improve
health outcomes. The task force did
note, "... recommendations to reduce
sodium intake may be made on other
grounds, including the potential beneficial effects on blood pressure in salt
sensitive persons."
Furthermore, the Cochrane Collaboration, a nonprofit organization that
tracks health care, assessed the longterm effects on death, cardiovascular
disease and blood pressure in adults
who had been advised to reduce their
consumption of salt in food. Its study
found that intensive support to reduce
salt intake led to reductions in salt eaten. Such advice and support also lowered blood pressure but only by a small
amount after more than a year. Notably,
once again, people with higher blood
pressure demonstrated greater reductions. The group summarized that this
reduction was not enough to expect an
important health benefit, and furthermore, it was very difficult for people to
sustain a low-salt diet.
Yet another approach to sodium intake management was issued in January 2005, when USDA published the
sixth edition of Dietary Guidelines for
Americans. The guidelines emphasize
eating a healthy balance of nutritious
foods as a core point. Specifically regarding sodium and potassium, the
guidelines recommended: "1) consume
less than 2,300 mg (approximately
1 teaspoon of salt) of sodium per day,
and 2) choose and prepare foods with
little salt. At the same time, consume
potassium-rich foods, such as fruits
and vegetables." The broadly focused
guidelines establish individual responsibility for achieving a healthy
outcome while offering specific guidance about sodium and salt intake.
They do not suggest imposing regulatory requirements.
Critically important for manufacturers is evidence that different groups
interpret available data differently

94 / BAKING & SNACK / October 2006

and prefer to achieve nutritional and
healthy outcomes via different strategies. Furthermore, the requirements of
special health needs groups may be different from the general population.

BAKERY IMPLICATIONS
The AMA statements regarding the potential use of regulatory action represents an aggressive position. In recent
years, a number of other regulatory requirements have forced products with
healthy images and claims to adjust sodium delivery and make other changes
such as increased potassium levels.
A number of food industry associations have drafted plans to guide their
members. Their comments point out
that food companies are formulating
products that offer reductions in sodium, but they also note that, to date,
there have only been limited alternatives to salt, a substance that plays a
unique role in taste and flavor enhancement as well as other functional purposes in foods.
Richard. L. Hanneman of The Salt
Institute pointed out that a single

ᮣ Salt exerts a
strengthening effect on
dough and is known
to inhibit proteolytic
enzymes.

change in the diet such as reducing salt
or sodium will not necessarily deliver
a healthy outcome for the population.
A number of factors in lifestyle must
be addressed to minimize hypertension and cardiovascular risks. He also
observed that "not all sodium is created equally" - an important point for
product developers. Sodium in different
ionic forms from different ingredients
may have a different effect on hypertension and health conditions of concern to
the medical community. He pointed out
that studies with salt-sensitive individuals showed that some sodium forms
such as citrate or bicarbonate do not
necessarily increase blood pressure like
sodium chloride. Food manufacturers
need to act thoughtfully as they adjust
sodium levels in their products because
some ingredient adjustments may not
necessarily deliver a better product, either nutritionally or organoleptically.
With some exceptions, bakery products have escaped major nutritional
scrutiny during previous debates about
salt and sodium; their sodium levels are
often less than 10% of the Daily Value

Baking & Snack - October 2006

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