Urinalysisâthis is a routine test that can detect protein in the urine as well as red blood cells and white blood cells. These are not normally found in the urine and, if present, may indicate kidney disease.
The National Health and Medical Research Council has set an âAdequate Intakeâ of 20â40 mmol (460â920 mg) of sodium per day. This corresponds to 1.15â2.3 grams of salt. Most Australian adults have a daily salt intake of about 10 grams, i.e. many times the maximum value of the Adequate Intake range. A âSuggested Dietary Targetâ of 1600 mg of sodium (equivalent to about 4 grams of salt) has been set for Australian adults.
Most of the sodium in the Western diet comes from salt. The habitual salt intake in many Western countries is about 10 g per day, and it is higher than that in many countries in Eastern Europe and Asia. The high level of sodium in many processed foods has a major impact on the total amount consumed.