Within the Ccm projects "Minisal-GIRCSI" and "Meno sale più salute", the determination of sodium and potassium consumption in the general adult Italian population was carried out by Iss, during the Cardiovascular/Health Examination Survey 2008-2012, through the collection of 24-hour urine in population samples aged 35-79 years resident in all Italian Regions.

Urinary potassium in mmol/day was converted to g/day (1 mmol corresponding to 39 mg of potassium).

The average of potassium intake in samples of the Italian population (35-79 years old) examined from 2008 to 2012, was 2.5 g/day (DS ±0.8) in men and 2.2 g/day (DS ±0.7) in women, only 4% of men and 2% of women take an adequate amount of potassium (≥ 3.9 g/day); this indicates insufficient consumption of fruit, vegetables and legumes. The average dietary sodium/potassium ratio, which should be less than 1, was 3.0 (DS ±1.1) in men and 2.6 (DS ±1.0) in women. Potassium intake was higher in the regions of Central Italy and in some Regions in the South.

• See data on salt and potassium intake in the adult population for each region.
• See also on EpiCentro the infographics with data on the consumption of sodium and potassium in the Italian Regions.

Read more

• The press release of the Ministry of Health “La riduzione del consumo di sale: un obiettivo possibile” 12 marzo 2015 (Italian language)
• The pages related to salt and sodium in the Progetto Cuore website

Bibliography

• Cappuccio FP, Ji C, Donfrancesco C, Palmieri L, ippolito R, Vannuzzo D, Giampaoli S, Strazullo P. Geographic and socioeconomic variation of sodium and potassium intake in Italy: results from the Minisal-Gircsi programme. BMJ Open 2015;5:e007467.
• Giampaoli S, Strazzullo Pasquale, Galeone D, Donfrancesco C, Russo O, Palmieri L, Ippolito R, Vanuzzo D. Il consumo di sodio e potassio nell’alimentazione della popolazione adulta italiana. Rivista Società Italiana di Medicina Generale (Simg) 2014;2:27-28.
• Donfrancesco C, Ippolito R, Lo Noce C, Palmieri L, Iacone R, Russo O, Vanuzzo D, Galletti F, Galeone D, Giampaoli S, Strazzullo P. Excess dietary sodium and inadequate potassium intake in Italy: results of the MINISAL study. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2013;23:850-6.