For decades, ever since health care research established a link between excessive sodium consumption and elevated blood pressure, salt has been given a bum rap. Part of the problem is the food processing industry, which loads packaged and fast foods with sodium as a flavoring and preservative. But if you are into whole foods and exercise, there is a chance you could be sodium deficient.
The Role of Sodium in the Body
Sodium plays an important role in metabolic processes, and too little can compromise health. Hospitals routinely use saline, or salt water, as an IV drip to keep patients hydrated. Sodium, along with potassium and chlorine, is an important component of blood plasma, facilitating the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the cells. Sodium is also necessary for muscular contraction, digestion and the transmission of neural impulses.
Hyponatremia and Electrolytes
Sodium deficiency, also known as hyponatremia, can cause a disruption in the body's systems which are regulated by electrolytes. Electrolytes are mineral compounds that, in combination, contain free ions that function as electrical conductors. They play a vital role in keeping your heart beating and delivering messages to the motor neurons that stimulate muscular contraction. When any or all of the mineral compounds that make up electrolytes become depleted, you are at risk for impaired brain, motor and cardiac function.
Causes and Symptoms of Sodium Deficiency
According to Penn State University Medical Center, hyponatremia can have many causes, including overuse of diuretics, nausea and vomiting, excessive water consumption, marathon running, kidney disease, poor diet and excessive beer consumption. Symptoms include lethargy, confusion, nausea and seizures. In extreme cases, sodium deficiency can lead to coma and death.
Sodium Loss through Exercise
Athletes need sodium to maintain hydration levels for optimal performance. In a 2006 article published in the "Journal of the American College of Nutrition," Rick L. Sharp, Ph.D., noted that individuals engaged in vigorous exercise in hot environments lose up to 3L of water and 3.5g of sodium per hour through perspiration. If not replenished, the loss of sodium and water can impede athletic performance and may predispose athletes to injury. Drinking water alone may worsen the situation by further diluting circulating electrolytes. Sports drinks are designed to replenish depleted minerals, including sodium, quickly.
Finding Balance
If you rarely eat fast or processed foods, there is no harm in adding salt to your food for flavoring. Iodized salt has the added bonus of meeting your body's need for iodine, a regulator of thyroid and metabolism that is also commonly deficient in the American diet. If you regularly engage in vigorous exercise that causes you to sweat, both sodium and potassium could become depleted if not replenished in your diet. Elderly people, who are routinely warned off sodium, may be at risk for sodium deficiency if they take prescription diuretics.
References
- Penn State University College of Medicine: Hyponatremia
- "Kinohi Institute Technical Reports"; Heat Stress and Electrolyte Imbalance; Michael Storrie-Lombardi M.D.; 2007
- "Journal of the American College of Nutrition"; Role of Sodium in Fluid Homeostasis with Exercise; Rick L. Sharp, Ph.D.; Jun. 2006
- Mineral Information Institute:The Role of Elements in Life Processes
- Medical News Today: What are Electrolytes?
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