Extreme sodium reductions for the entire population: zealotry or evidence based?

Should Americans eat less salt? “Yes” has been the advice from several professional organizations. But are such sweeping public health recommendatations based on good science or are they based on an overzealous extrapolation of limited data? Currently, the average consumption of sodium (Na) in the United States is about 3.5 g/day. Some guidelines recommend reducing the Na consumption of the entire US population to <2.3 g/day, and some to even 1.5 g/day. Is this 35%–65% reduction in Na consumption in millions of Americans necessary, safe, and feasible?

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