ArticleAmerican journal of preventive medicine2026
Trends in Sodium Content of Meat-Based Versus Meat-Free Menu Items in 75 Large Chain Restaurants in the U.S., 2013-2021.
Article in American journal of preventive medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Sodium, potassium, and calories: implications for implementing a recommended diet in adults with hypertension.American journal of hypertension · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
introductionReducing meat intake could improve planetary and human health, but high sodium in commercially prepared meat-free foods may undermine some health benefits of reducing meat intake. This study characterized trends in sodium content of meat-based versus meat-free foods in large chain U.S. restaurants and examined mean sodium differences and portions of items qualifying for a high-in-sodium warning label.
methodsData came from MenuStat.org, a longitudinal database of menu items from U.S. restaurants collected annually from 2013 to 2021. The analytic sample included 24,147 items from 75 restaurants. Linear regression for panel data assessed trends in mean per-item sodium overall and by meat category (meat based/meat free), adjusted for restaurant type, menu category, children's item, and energy. Postestimation margins estimated mean sodium. Analyses were conducted in 2025.
resultsFrom 2013 to 2021, mean sodium content was high, with no significant changes among meat-based or meat-free items. Meat-free items accounted for 22.1% of items and had lower mean sodium than meat-based items (-301 mg; 95% CI= -365, -238), consistent over time, across restaurant types and nearly all menu categories. Across all years, 13.4%-17.2% meat-based and 3.7%-5.9% of meat-free items would qualify for a high-in-sodium warning label by exceeding 100% of the sodium Daily Value.
conclusionsAcross 75 large chain restaurants, the sodium content of menu items did not change from 2013 to 2021. Meat-free items were lower in mean sodium than meat-based items but were still high in sodium. Efforts to shift toward plant-forward diets should be paired with stronger sodium reduction policies.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.