Research
Mixed
Sodium added to food outside the home is the leading source of sodium across all demographic subgroups, including variations by age, race, education, and geographic region.
No matter your background, most of your sodium comes from food bought or eaten outside your home. Focus on choosing lower-sodium packaged foods and making smarter choices at restaurants, as this is the most effective way to reduce sodium for everyone.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Although the proportion of sodium from this source was smaller in some subgroups, it was the leading contributor for all subgroups. Contribution ranged from 66.3% for those with a high school level of education or less to 75.0% for those 18 to 29 years of age.
Why this rating
Large, diverse sample with stratified analysis showing consistent dominance across demographics.
Source
Sources of Sodium in US Adults From 3 Geographic Regions
Lisa Harnack et al. · Circulation · 2017
DOI 10.1161/circulationaha.116.024446
cross_sectional · n=450Cited 185×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
Related findings · Mixed
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