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Recent Economic Evaluations of Interventions to Prevent Cardiovascular Disease by Reducing Sodium Intake

  • Nutrition (BV Howard, Section Editor)
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Abstract

Excess intake of sodium, a common problem worldwide, is associated with hypertension and cardiovascular disease (CVD), and hypertension is a major risk factor for CVD. Population-wide efforts to reduce sodium intake have been identified as a promising strategy for preventing hypertension and CVD, and such initiatives are currently recommended by a variety of scientific and public health organizations. By reviewing the literature published from January 2011 to March 2013, we summarized recent economic analyses of interventions to reduce sodium intake. The evidence, derived from estimates of resultant blood pressure decreases and thus decreases in the incidence of CVD events, supports population-wide interventions for reducing sodium intake. Both lowering the salt content in manufactured foods and conducting mass media campaigns at the national level are estimated to be cost-effective in preventing CVD. Although better data on the cost of interventions are needed for rigorous economic evaluations, population-wide sodium intake reduction can be a promising approach for containing the growing health and economic burden associated with hypertension and its sequelae.

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Conflict of Interest

Guijing Wang declares no conflict of interest.

Barbara A. Bowman declares no conflict of interest.

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Correspondence to Guijing Wang.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Nutrition

The findings and conclusions in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

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Wang, G., Bowman, B.A. Recent Economic Evaluations of Interventions to Prevent Cardiovascular Disease by Reducing Sodium Intake. Curr Atheroscler Rep 15, 349 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11883-013-0349-1

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