Sports drinks tend to overdo things with the sodium and sugar, according to Bates, so she had a tip for weekend warriors rehydrating that way. So split it up, and you can get three for the price of one.
Most doctors recommend that most people get less sodium in their diets. High sodium levels in the blood can cause inflammation, which, over time, can put you at risk for a number of serious health problems, including high blood pressure, stomach cancer, kidney stones, headaches, osteoporosis, stroke, and heart failure.
Hypernatremia—too much sodium in the blood—is essentially the same as dehydration, when there is too little water in the body. Instead, it can be brought on by not drinking enough water, severe diarrhea, vomiting, fever, kidney disease, diabetes insipidus loss of water hormone , certain medications, and large burn areas on the skin. It can be a bit of a snowball effect that can be countered by taking steps to eat a low-sodium diet.
Although they may not be necessary for everyone, diets that restrict sodium intake to less than 2, mg per day about a teaspoon of salt are often prescribed for people with certain medical conditions like high blood pressure, kidney disease, and heart failure.
Hyponatremia —too little sodium in the blood—is a relatively rare condition that can be caused by certain medications, problems with the heart, kidneys, or liver, hormonal changes, chronic alcoholism, malnutrition, or just drinking too much water. Mild, chronic hyponatremia can go undetected and may not cause any noticeable symptoms, but it may contribute to higher levels of cholesterol and triglycerides a type of fat in the blood. Acute hyponatremia, when sodium levels drop rapidly, can lead to brain swelling, seizure, coma, and even death.
The condition can often be prevented by treating any underlying medical conditions that can cause hyponatremia, or by drinking water in moderation or fluids that contain electrolytes when engaged in physical activities or sports. Many people are salt-resistant, meaning the amount of sodium in their diet does little to change their blood pressure.
Others, who are salt-sensitive, can see their blood pressure rise by five points or more if they go on a high-sodium diet.
For these people, who usually have high blood pressure to begin with, a low-sodium diet can be important for overall health. Excess salt is has been linked to hypertension, and of course hypertension is a risk for heart disease.
Some populations of people are very sodium sensitive, meaning when they eat sodium they retain fluid and their blood pressure rises. There's some research that shows if everybody reduced sodium in their diet, the rates of heart disease in the United States would go way down. With our current food production it's very difficult to cut out sodium.
A slice of bread can have milligrams of sodium alone. Unless you get back to a diet where you're really cooking from scratch, and not using processed foods or canned foods, it's really hard to reach that recommendation. Salt has been used for hundreds of years as a preservative, and some food makers use it as a flavoring because it's cheaper. It's more expensive to use other herbs and spices to make food taste good better than to add salt. Sodium chloride, which we acquire from table salt as well as from salted food products, is required for metabolic functions in the body and helps regulate fluid volume.
The issue with sodium is similar to sugar: The average American consumes well above the recommended amount. If we are consuming fresh, whole and natural foods, sodium intake can be reduced quite easily.
Avoiding added salt, soy sauce or other salty condiments will also help reduce total sodium intake. Look for products less than milligrams per serving, which is considered to be low in sodium. Requesting less sodium added to foods in restaurants is another means to reduce total daily sodium.
More importantly, consider cooking at home with fresh foods and low sodium recipes. Login ». As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician. Thanks for visiting. Don't miss your FREE gift.
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