FIGURE 5-1 Percentage contribution of dietary sources to total intake of sodium for persons 2 or more years of age.

NOTES: Mean intake, 1 day, weighted 24-hour dietary recall data (n = 16,822); sodium intake from food is reported as a 1-day mean rather than usual intake to be consistent with the data available for other dietary sources.

^aIncludes salt added in cooking and food preparation.

^bSalt added by the consumer at the table.

SOURCE: NHANES 2003–2006.

through childhood and early adulthood, peaks at age 19–30 years, and then declines (Appendix F, Table F-1). On average, other dietary sources beyond foods provide an additional 207 mg/d of sodium, resulting in a mean total sodium intake of 3,614 mg for the population ages 2 years and older. More detailed information on mean intake and percentile distribution for usual intake is presented in Appendix F, Tables F-1 and F-2, respectively.

Additional analyses reveal that the proportion of the population meeting the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommendation of < 2,300 mg/d for sodium is only 10 percent (standard error [SE] = 0.5 percent); when only food sources are considered, 15 percent (SE = 0.6 percent) of the U.S. population ages 2 years and older meets the recommendation. Older women (71 years and older) are the most likely to meet the recommendation, but still only 36 percent (SE = 3 percent) consume < 2,300 mg/d.

Foods contribute the vast majority of dietary sodium, estimated at 3,407 mg/d for persons 2 or more years of age for 2003–2006 (Appendix F, Table F-1). As shown in Figure 5-1, sources other than food contribute less than 6 percent of dietary sodium. For this reason, intake from food is discussed first.