Proceedings from the workshop on estimating the contributions of sodium reduction to preventable death

The primary goal of this workshop was to identify the most appropriate method to estimate the potential effect of reduction in sodium consumption on mortality. Difficulty controlling hypertension at the individual level has motivated international, federal, state, and local efforts to identify and implement population-wide strategies to better control this problem; reduction of sodium intake is one such strategy. Published estimates of the impact of sodium consumption on mortality have used different modeling approaches, effect sizes, and levels of sodium consumption, and thus their estimates of preventable deaths averted vary widely, and are not comparable. In response to this problem, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention (DHDSP) convened and facilitated a workshop to examine different methods of estimating the effect of sodium reduction on mortality. The panelists agreed that any of the methodologies presented could provide reasonable estimates, and therefore discussion focused on challenges faced by all methods. The panel concluded that future sodium modeling efforts should generate multiple estimates employing the same scenarios and effect sizes while using different modeling techniques; in addition, future efforts should include outcomes other than mortality (morbidity, costs, and quality of life). Varying reductions in sodium should be modeled at the population level over different time intervals. In an effort to better address some of the uncertainties highlighted by this workshop, the panelists are currently considering developing multiple estimates in a collaborative manner to clarify the potential impact of population-based interventions to reduce sodium consumption.