COMPARACIÓN DEL CONTENIDO DE SODIO DE ALIMENTOS DEL MERCADO ARGENTINO CON EL VALOR DEL RÓTULO

Abstract

Introduction: sodium (Na) is an element abundant in nature and present in the water and food. The excessive consumption of Na, which mainly comes from processed foods, is a risk factor for the development of high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. In Argentina, Na consumption doubles the maximum recommended consumption of 2000 mg/day. Objective: to evaluate the Na content of foods in the Argentine market and to compare the values of these with those declared in the nutritional labels. Materials and Methods: 97 products were selected from various categories (cold cuts, cheeses, sweetened beverages, cookies). The Na concentration was measured by emission spectroscopy and was expressed in mg Na/100 g/mL. Results: The median and range of the declared Na was for the foods analyzed was 630 [10-1833] (median [range]), while the measured Na was 645 [6.9-3278]; for non-alcoholic beverages, declared Na was 14 [0-46] and measured Na was 3.7 [0.8-36]. A significant difference was found between the Na values declared and measured in cold cuts and sweetened beverages (Wilcoxon test, p<0.05). Forty one percent of the measured value of Na in the foods analyzed are within the tolerance ± 20% required by The Argentine Food Code and 92% of the non-alcoholic beverages have a measured value lower than said interval. Conclusions: the declared and measured values are different for the categories of cold cuts and non-alcoholic beverages, which would prevent a correct estimation of the Na intake from these foods. Key words: sodium, foods; beverages; nutritional labelling; food composition.