The following is a list of English-speaking population by country, including information on both native speakers and second-language speakers.
Sodium plays many important roles in the body. It maintains fluid balance and is a main nutrient used in nerve impulse transmission and muscle contraction. The normal range for blood sodium is between 135 and 145 mEq/L (3.10 mg/ml to 3.34 mg/ml). Higher levels of sodium are normally associated with hypertension. A sodium level of 150 mEq/L (3.45 mg/ml) or more is known as hypernatremia, a condition that is commonly caused by dehydration or eating too much salt. However it can also be caused by other conditions such as diabetes or hormonal imbalances.
At a meeting in late September 2009, the Sodium Working Group agreed to set a goal of reducing sodium in the Canadian diet to 2,300 mg per day â by 2016. That represents a five per cent reduction per year, based on the current average sodium intake of about 3,400 mg per day. When the group released its sodium reduction strategy on July 29, 2010, it said thousands of lives would be saved if Canadians cut their sodium intake by half.