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.

The average daily salt consumption in samples of the Italian population (35-79 years old) examined from 2008 to 2012, was 10.6 g (DS ±4.0) in men and 8.2 g (DS ±3.3) in women, well above the recommended level. Only 5% of men and 15% of women consume less than 5 g. 

The values observed in the different Regions are all very high but there is a North-South gradient, with lower values in the North and higher values in the South, similarly to what observed for the distribution by macro-areas of physical inactivity and obesity.

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.