Low-salt diets are usually associated with managing high blood pressure and heart disease. However, if your kidneys are not working properly, your doctor may recommend that you limit salt intake. Because there are different types and degrees of kidney disease, your physician will need to decide how much salt is safe for you to consume based on your personal medical history.
Kidney Function
The kidneys play an important role in maintaining your health. They help regulate fluid balance, maintain the right acid balance, and control sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, magnesium, sulfate, phosphate and hydrogen levels in the body. Because the kidneys regulate the volume of fluid and salt, they also help regulate your blood pressure. When the kidneys are working normally, they constantly monitor the body and can excrete excess minerals or fluids to maintain balance. If the kidneys lose the ability to filter and/or excrete waste products, you may need treatment, including a low-salt diet, to prevent complications.
Salt and Your Kidneys
Salt causes the body to retain fluid and the more fluid there is to move through the body, the harder the kidneys must work to maintain the proper balance. When the level of salt gets too high, the kidneys may no longer be able to keep up and the body will begin to retain salt and fluid. As the level of fluid rises, excess pressure is placed against all of the blood vessel walls, which can raise your blood pressure. In some cases, high blood pressure can damage the blood vessels that supply the kidneys, causing a condition called hypertensive nephrosclerosis, which is the most common form of kidney disease, reports the American Association of Kidney Patients.
Daily Salt Allowance
Kidney disease can also be caused by diabetes because high blood sugar levels that are not well controlled can damage many of the body's organs, including the kidneys. Although less common, there are genetic disorders and inflammatory conditions that can also hinder the kidneys from working properly. No matter what the cause, it is important that patients with kidney disease limit salt intake to no more than 2,300 mg of sodium per day, which is the equivalent of one teaspoon, according to the National Kidney Foundation. Because each individual's sensitivity to salt is different, your doctor may suggest you go even lower.
Stages of Kidney Disease
The amount of salt that is safe to consume is in part dependent on what stage of kidney disease you are in. Your physician can run tests to determine how well your kidneys are working and what the best treatment approach is. In the early stages, medications and moderate dietary changes may be enough to control your condition while later stages of kidney disease may require dialysis and a much stricter diet, notes the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse. In the early stages of kidney disease, there may be no warning signs or symptoms so it is important to get regular checkups and have your kidneys tested so that treatment, such as reducing salt intake, can start early on when kidney disease is easier to treat.
