Heart failure patients may have trouble following low-sodium diets

"Even when they attempt to reduce their sodium intake, only one-third of heart failure patients in a small study were able to adhere to a recommended low-sodium diet, researchers reported at the American Heart Association's 10th Scientific Forum on Quality of Care and Outcomes Research in Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke. The recommended daily intake of sodium for heart failure patients is 2,000 milligrams (mg). However, the 116 heart failure patients in the study consumed an average 2,671 mg per day with a range of 522 to 9251 mg per day. The American Heart Association recommends healthy people aim to eat less than 2,300 mg of salt per day. Some people - African Americans, middle-aged and older adults and people with high blood pressure - should aim for less than 1,500 mg per day. 'The patients themselves were shocked to find out they were eating more than 2000 mg of sodium a day,' said Carolyn M. Reilly, R.N., Ph.D., abstract co-author and postdoctoral fellow at Emory University in Atlanta. Most of the patients thought they were taking steps to reduce their sodium, but focused on the wrong target, Reilly said." - AHA