According to researchers from the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the average American consumes more than the recommended amount of salt every day.

The CDC report said that people on an average which included those with high blood pressure, blacks, and middle-age and older adults, consume 3,436 milligrams a day of sodium and 69 % of these people should not consume more than 1,500 mg daily.

The study findings were based on an analysis of data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, were published in the CDC's March 27 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

The daily salt consumption translates to about one and a half teaspoons which is half a teaspoon more than the daily recommendation. As per the latest government guidelines published in 2005 the recommended amount for adults in general is less than 2,300 mg (about 1 teaspoon) of sodium a day, still a third less than the average person's consumption.

Dr. Darwin R. Labarthe, director of the CDC's Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention said, "It's important for people to eat less salt. People who adopt a heart healthy eating pattern that includes a diet low in sodium and rich in potassium and calcium can improve their blood pressure. Reducing sodium intake can prevent or delay increases in blood pressure for everyone. People need to know their recommended daily sodium limit and take action to reduce sodium intake."

Salt is the culprit that makes your blood pressure go up and high blood pressure dramatically increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. The American Heart Association says up to 75% of our sodium intake comes from processed foods such as tomato sauce, soup, condiments, canned foods, and prepared mixes.

"Most of the salt in our diet comes from processed and manufactured foods," Labarthe says. "Only a small fraction comes from salt added to food at the table or to home cooking."

The CDC recommends that people make some simple changes to reduce the salt intake like selecting foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables when eating out, asking for food to be prepared without salt and reading the nutrition labels of food items before buying them.

Congress has asked the CDC to engage the services of the Institute of Medicine to address the question of how to lower the amount of salt in the U. S. food supply.

"This will bring about recommendations for changes in the food industry. There are people in the industry who are very interested in this," Labarthe says. "We are very optimistic that with the heightened concern of the public and Congress, we will see change on this in the near future."