People around the world tend to eat more salt than doctors recommend—usually 3 to 5 grams a day instead of the suggested 2 to 2.4 grams—because we naturally like the taste of salt, so we keep eating it even when we know we shouldn't.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (2)
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Taste Preference for Salt Predicts Salt Intake in a Chinese Population
People who like saltier food tend to eat more salt, and this study found most people in China eat almost five times more salt than recommended, which matches the idea that taste preferences lead to high salt intake.
Sodium Reduction Legislation and Urinary Sodium and Blood Pressure in South Africa.
The study found that people were eating about 3 grams of sodium a day before new salt rules, which matches the claim that people usually eat more salt than recommended.
Contradicting (3)
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Effects of a behavioral intervention that emphasizes spices and herbs on adherence to recommended sodium intake: results of the SPICE randomized clinical trial.
The study shows people can eat less salt if they learn to use spices and herbs instead, which goes against the idea that we’re stuck eating too much salt just because we like the taste.
Pola Konsumsi Natrium Pada Petani Padi di Kecamatan Gadingrejo
The study looked at salt intake in Indonesian rice farmers and found most people ate less salt than the recommended limit, which goes against the idea that everyone everywhere eats too much salt.
Blood Pressure in Four Remote Populations in the INTERSALT Study
The study looked at salt intake in remote groups and found they eat much less salt than most people today, and they hardly ever get high blood pressure. This goes against the idea that humans naturally eat a lot of salt everywhere.
Gold Standard Evidence Needed
According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.