Dietary Sodium Intakes and Food Sources of Sodium in Canadian-Born and Asian-Born Individuals of Chinese Ethnicity at a Canadian University Campus

Abstract

Objective: To document the sodium intake and food sources of sodium of Canadian-born Chinese (CBC) and Asian-born Chinese (ABC) individuals at a Canadian university campus. Participants: Healthy adults aged 18–58 years originating from Canada, China, Hong Kong, or Taiwan were recruited from the University of Alberta (n = 40 CBC, n = 41 ABC) between May and December 2010. Methods: Two in-person multipass 24-hour dietary recall interviews were administered for 1 weekday and 1 weekend day. Results: The mean sodium intake was 3,623 ± 1,406 mg/day. The major food sources of sodium were commercially prepared and processed foods for both CBC and ABC (59.9% and 54.7% of sodium, respectively). Condiments contributed substantially to dietary sodium intake of CBC and ABC (27.8% and 35.1% of sodium, respectively). Conclusions: Efforts to reduce dietary sodium among students and other adults of Chinese ethnicity should focus on limiting consumption of commercially processed foods and moderation in discretionary use of salt and soy sauce.