Dietary recommendations for salt/sodium intake | Knowledge for policy

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Note that some organisations give the recommendation for sodium instead of salt. The recommendations are given in grams per day or milligrams per day. Salt can be calculated by multiplying sodium by 2.5.

Source	Dietary recommendation
EFSA 2019 (pdf)	‘the available evidence cannot be used to determine the sodium requirement in the population; so, an average requirement (AR) and population reference intake (PRI) for sodium cannot be established.' ‘Integrating the available evidence and associated uncertainties, the Panel considers that a sodium intake of 2.0 g/day represents a level of sodium for which there is sufficient confidence in a reduced risk of CVD in the general adult population. Also, a sodium intake of 2.0 g/day is likely to allow most of the general adult population to maintain physiological sodium balance. Therefore, the Panel considers that 2.0 g sodium/day is a safe and adequate intake for the general EU population of adults.’ ‘There is no evidence that the sodium requirement of lactating women differs from the requirement of non-lactating women. So, 2.0 g of sodium/day is a safe and adequate intake for pregnant and lactating women.’
WHO 2013 (pdf) WHO 2025	A reduction to <2 g/day sodium (5 g/day salt) in adults (≥16 years of age) (strong recommendation). ‘In this context, using less regular table salt is an important part of an overall sodium reduction strategy. If choosing to use table salt, WHO suggests replacing regular table salt with lower-sodium salt substitutes that contain potassium (conditional recommendation). This recommendation is intended for adults (not pregnant women or children) in general populations, excluding individuals with kidney impairments or with other circumstances or conditions that might compromise potassium excretion.’ (conditional recommendation)
WCRF/AICR 2016 (pdf)	Public health goals: 'Population average consumption of salt from all sources to be less than 5 g (2 g of sodium) a day' Personal recommendations: 'Limit consumption of processed foods with added salt to ensure an intake of less than 6 g (2.4 g sodium) a day' Avoid salt-preserved, salted, or salty foods; preserve foods without using salt (instead use refrigeration, freezing, drying, bottling, canning, and fermentation).
FSAI 2016 (pdf)	'… for reducing salt consumption […] target for the adult Irish population is a mean intake of 2.4 g/100 mmol sodium (6 g salt) per day. Whilst this is considered to be an achievable goal for the population at this time, it should not be regarded as an optimal or ideal level of consumption.' '… advice targeted at individual adults should reflect the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for sodium of 1.6 g/70 mmol (4 g salt) per adult per day [which] is sufficient to meet the needs of 97.5% of the population.'
DGE 2018	For adults, pregnant and lactating women, the estimated values for sodium intake are set at 1 500 mg/day.
NNR 2023 (pdf)	‘the AI [Adequate Intake] in NNR2023 is set to 1.5 g sodium per day (females and males), which corresponds to 3.75 g salt per day.’ ‘NNR2023 […] recommend[s] limiting intake to 2.3 g/d (about 5.75 g salt).’
BfR 2011 (pdf)	'The salt intake should be reduced to between 3.5 and a maximum of 6 grams per day.'
SACN 2003 (pdf)	'recommendation for a target salt intake of 6g/day (2.4g/100 mmol sodium) for the adult population', for those aged 15 years upwards.
DGAC 2020a	‘The sodium DRI was changed from a UL to a CDRR [chronic disease risk reduction] value in the 2019 DRI update.’ ‘The CDRR for sodium was established using evidence of the benefit of reducing sodium intake on cardiovascular risk and hypertension risk’ ‘Healthy eating patterns limit sodium to the CDRR levels defined by the National Academies— 1,200 mg/day for ages 1 through 3; 1,500 mg/day for ages 4 through 8; 1,800 mg/day for ages 9 through 13; and 2,300 mg/day for all other age groups.’
AHA/ACC 2019	‘A diet containing reduced amounts of […] sodium can be beneficial to decrease ASCVD [atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease] risk.’ (Moderate strength of recommendation, from moderate-quality evidence) Best Proven Nonpharmacological Interventions for Prevention and Treatment of Hypertension: ‘Optimal goal is <1500 mg/d, but aim for at least a 1000-mg/d reduction in most adults.’
NASEM 2019	The sodium AIs for adults 19 years of age and older, as well as for pregnant and lactating women, was set at 1 500 mg/day.
EU countries	Most countries' food based dietary guidelines recommend limiting salt intake to 5 or 6 g per day. Some countries only recommend a limited salt intake but do not quantify this recommendation.

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