BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- The government recommends that people consume no more than about one teaspoon of salt per day.

But most Americans eat nearly double that amount, and it's taking a toll on the nation's health, according to researchers from the University of California at San Francisco.

They used computer modeling to calculate the benefits of cutting daily salt by 3 grams. The results? As many as 92,000 lives saved each year -- thanks chiefly to reductions in heart disease.

Researchers estimated that lowering sodium intake could conservatively prevent 32,000 strokes and 54,000 heart attacks per year.

This means that when it comes to public health threats, salt is a similar to smoking and obesity. Nutritionists blamed the high salt foods that have become a staple of the American diet -- from take-out pizzas to canned soups.

Even breakfast cereals can have surprisingly high salt content. Experts said it will take public health initiatives to limit salt in food -- such as the one under way in New York City -- to force companies to lower the sodium content in their products.