People need to eat sodium in small amounts to maintain normal body functions such as as transmitting nerve impulses, maintaining fluid balance and contracting and relaxing muscles. However, excessive amounts of sodium can lead to unwanted and unhealthy complications. The general recommendation for sodium intake is no more than 2,300 milligrams daily. This recommendation decreases at age 51 to a maximum of 1,500 milligrams daily. These recommendations are for healthy individuals only. Those with cardiovascular or kidney disease usually have much lower limits.
Sodium attracts and holds water, which increases total blood volume. A higher blood volume means that the cardiovascular system has to work harder to pump blood through the body. This increased workload increases arterial pressure, leading to hypertension, or high blood pressure. Eating less salt will help prevent this.
As mentioned, sodium attracts and holds water. This can lead to water retention, or bloating. Water retention is often most noticeable around the abdomen and ankles. Limiting foods that are high in sodium, such as processed foods, can help reduce water retention and lessen bloating.
Kidneys help filter urine and balance sodium levels in the body. When the body has lower than sufficient levels of sodium, the kidneys will hold on to what is needed and it will excrete excess if sodium levels are too high. Excessive amounts of salt can overload the kidneys, inhibiting their function. This can cause sodium to build up in the system, leading to water retention and increased blood pressure as previously noted.
Monitoring intake of salt is a healthy habit; however, severe restriction is not necessary for everyone. You may reap health benefits by simply being aware of the amount of sodium you consume on a regular basis and taking steps to reduce what you eat if you discover it is excessive. More stringent sodium restrictions may be necessary for individuals with diseases such as congestive heart failure, hypertension and kidney failure. Any major sodium restriction should be prescribed and monitored by a doctor.
- Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism; Sareen S. Gropper, Jack L. Smith and James L. Groff
- Krause's Food and Nutrition Therapy; L. Kathleen Mahan and Sylvia Escott-Stump
- salt image by Andrey Rakhmatullin from Fotolia.com