But the explanation is not entirely that sandwich eaters consume saltier food, the study team writes in their report. The extra sodium was largely due to sandwich eaters taking in more calories overall, about 300 more than people who did not eat sandwiches.
Patricia Guenther, a research professor in the Division of Nutrition at the University of Utah who was not involved in the study cautions, however, that it is also a matter of typical sandwich ingredients tending to be higher in sodium.
“It's the processed meats that generally have the most sodium - cold cuts, luncheon meats, sausages, frankfurters/hot dogs,” Guenther said. People do not necessarily need to avoid these foods altogether, but they should limit how much they eat, Guenther told Reuters Health in an email.