Steak sauce: a tablespoon of sodium with a little flavor

Across 85 randomized trials with sodium intakes from 0.4 to 7.6 g a day, blood pressure fell roughly in a straight line as sodium fell, with no flattening at either end. That matters for steak sauce, because sodium is most of what it brings. The US food survey record has 1,647 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g), so one 17 g tablespoon carries about 280 mg of sodium with 16 calories and 1.7 g of sugars. That is one standard record, brands differ, and most people pour more than a tablespoon on a steak. WHO sets the adult ceiling at 2 g of sodium a day, so a single tablespoon uses about 14% of it. We found no study of steak sauce itself, of how it is absorbed or of what cooking does to it.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

As people eat it, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• Steak sauce is mostly a sodium carrier: 1,647 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g), so one 17 g tablespoon brings about 280 mg of sodium with only 16 calories and 1.7 g of sugars. — USDA FNDDS record Steak sauce (74406100, FDC 2709752), 1 tablespoon = 17 g (n = 1 record) Evidence E source
  Per 100 g: sodium 1647 mg, energy 95 calories, carbohydrate 22.04 g, total sugars 9.82 g, potassium 312 mg; per 17 g tablespoon: sodium 280.0 mg, 16.1 calories, 1.7 g sugars, 53.0 mg potassium

What it does to your health

• Across 85 randomized trials with sodium intakes from 0.4 to 7.6 g a day and follow-up from 4 weeks to 36 months, blood pressure fell roughly in a straight line as sodium fell, with no flattening at either end. — 85 trials in adults with and without hypertension (n = 85 trials) Evidence A source
  Approximately linear fall in systolic and diastolic blood pressure across the whole sodium range
• Population sodium reduction programs lowered office systolic blood pressure by 2.64 mmHg across 36 cluster randomized trials with 66,803 participants. — 66,803 participants in 36 cluster randomized trials (n = 66803) Evidence A source
  Office systolic BP -2.64 mmHg (95% CI -3.48 to -1.80) vs usual care, with heterogeneity

Safety, limits and interactions

• WHO sets the adult ceiling for sodium at 2 g a day, equal to 5 g of salt, so one tablespoon of steak sauce uses about 14% of it. — adults, population-level recommendation Evidence E source
  2 g sodium per day, equivalent to 5 g salt per day
• Tomato-based meat sauces can hide fish: in November 2025 FDA posted a recall of a barbecue sauce sold with anchovy not declared on the label, a serious risk for people with fish allergy. — US consumers with fish allergy; Anthony's Barbecue & Dip-It Sauce, Oregon Evidence E source
  Undeclared anchovy (fish) in a tomato-based meat sauce; no illnesses reported

What people believe that the data does not support

• US regulation keeps sodium and salt apart: salt is 39% sodium by weight, so the 280 mg of sodium in a tablespoon of steak sauce equals about 0.7 g of salt. — US food labeling Evidence E source
  Sodium chloride is 39 percent sodium by weight

Who this works differently for

• The Cochrane review of low-sodium salt substitutes pooled 26 randomized trials in 34,961 adults and only 92 children, and found no trial in pregnant women. — 34,961 adults and 92 children in 26 randomized trials (n = 35053) Evidence A source
  Evidence gap: no trials in pregnancy, very few in children

The bottom line

Salt and sodium are different numbers on a label. US regulation defines salt as 39% sodium by weight, so the 280 mg of sodium in a tablespoon equals about 0.7 g of salt. Whole programs can move blood pressure. Across 36 cluster randomized trials with 66,803 participants, population sodium reduction lowered office systolic pressure by 2.64 mmHg (95% CI 1.80 to 3.48) against usual care, with wide variation between trials. Dropping one condiment gives a fraction of that. Who should be careful. People with a fish allergy should read the label. In November 2025 FDA posted a recall of a tomato-based barbecue sauce that contained anchovy not declared on the label. That was not a steak sauce, and anchovy usually gets into such sauces through Worcestershire. This page does not suggest switching to a low-sodium salt substitute. The Cochrane review of such substitutes randomized 34,961 adults and only 92 children, and found no trial in pregnant women, and we have no card yet on who should avoid them or on medicines.

Sources

1. stks-r8-01 · USDA FNDDS nutrient values and portions, dataset
   Steak sauce (FDC 2709752): Sodium, Na 1647 MG, Energy 95 KCAL, Carbohydrate, by difference 22.04 G, Total Sugars 9.82 G, Potassium, K 312 MG per 100 g; 1 tablespoon 17 g = 280.0 MG sodium, 16.1 KCAL, 1.7 G sugars, 53.0 MG potassium
   USDA FNDDS 2021-2023, food code 74406100 (FDC 2709752) · checked 2026-09-29
2. stks-r8-04 · dose-response meta-analysis
   We identified 85 eligible trials with sodium intake ranging from 0.4 to 7.6 g/d and follow-up from 4 weeks to 36 months. ... Overall, the pooled data were compatible with an approximately linear relationship between achieved sodium intake and mean systolic as well as diastolic BP, with no indication of a flattening of the curve at either the lowest or highest levels of sodium exposure.
   Circulation, 2021 · checked 2026-09-29
3. stks-r8-05 · meta-analysis of cluster randomized trials
   This meta-analysis considered 36 articles with 66,803 participants to be eligible. The population-based sodium reduction interventions decreased office systolic BP (SBP) compared with usual care in 36 studies (MD: -2.64 mmHg [95% confidence interval: -3.48- to 1.80]), with evidence of heterogeneity.
   Hypertens Res, 2025 · checked 2026-09-29
4. stks-r8-02 · WHO guideline
   In many cases, they are consuming much more than the current World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation on sodium consumption for adults, which is 2 g sodium/day (equivalent to 5 g salt/day) (7).
   WHO, Guideline: sodium intake for adults and children, 2012 · checked 2026-09-29
5. stks-r8-07 · government agency page
   People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to Anchovy (fish) run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume this product.
   US FDA, Anthony's BBQ Issues Allergy Alert on Undeclared Fish (Anchovy), November 2025 · checked 2026-09-29
6. stks-r8-03 · 21 CFR health claim text
   Sodium is specified here as the chemical entity or electrolyte “sodium” and is distinguished from sodium chloride, or salt, which is 39 percent sodium by weight.
   21 CFR 101.74, Health claims: sodium and hypertension · checked 2026-09-29
7. stks-r8-06 · Cochrane systematic review
   We included 26 RCTs, 16 randomising individual participants and 10 randomising clusters (families, households or villages). A total of 34,961 adult participants and 92 children were randomised to either LSSS or regular salt, with the smallest trial including 10 and the largest including 20,995 participants. No studies in pregnant women were identified.
   Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2022 · checked 2026-09-29