The American Medical Association along with a U.S. consumer group on Thursday urged health officials to put stricter regulations on salt, saying it has reached dangerous levels of excess in American diets.

'It really is a very big public health problem. We estimate that it is probably responsible for around 25 per cent to 30 per cent of the burden of cardiovascular disease.'—Kevin Willis, Canadian Stroke Network

The AMA and the U.S. Center for Science in the Public Interest made their presentation before health officials at the meeting convened by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in Maryland.

The groups said processed foods containing large amounts of salt are causing heart disease and high blood pressure. The CSPI said if manufacturers used 50 per cent less salt in their food, 150,000 lives would be saved.

Industry groups resisted the call for stronger regulations, saying the FDA should extend its voluntary approach. The Grocery Manufacturers Association-Food Products Association noted salt does not pose health risks when used in moderation.

Meanwhile, health experts in Canada are also calling for stricter regulation, saying Canadians are also perilously over-salting their foods. Kevin Willis, a bio-chemist with the Canadian Stroke Network, says about 30 Canadians die every day as a result of too much salt.

"It really is a very big public health problem. We estimate that it is probably responsible for around 25 per cent to 30 per cent of the burden of cardiovascular disease, so that's really very significant," he said.

Willis says that while some manufacturers are voluntarily scaling back their use of salt, legislation restricting the use of the seasoning will likely be necessary.

Average daily intake 3,092 mg: StatsCan

A 2007 Statistics Canada study found that among people aged 19 to 70, 85 per cent of men and 60 per cent of women consumed more sodium than was recommended.  The health survey did not include salt added to food.

Canadian men took in an average of 4,100 milligrams of sodium daily while women consumed 2,900 milligrams. Even among children aged one to three, 77 per cent surpassed the daily limits, consuming nearly 2,000 milligrams a day. In total, the national Canadian average for daily sodium intake registered at 3,092 milligrams, one-third more than the recommended limit.

According to the U.S.-based Institute of Medicine, surpassing the recommended upper limit of 2,300 milligrams of sodium daily for people over the age of 14 can lead to health problems including hypertension.

Health Canada is slated to strike a working group on salt in 2008.