The Significance Of Sodium & Potassium Ratios

The minerals sodium and potassium perform many metabolic tasks in the human body, but none is so crucial to your life and health as the regulation of blood pressure. Normal blood pressure is one indication that your heart function and arterial structures are healthy. High blood pressure means that your heart is working harder than normal, and a dietary imbalance of sodium and potassium might be the cause. If your eating habits and abnormal blood pressure persist, you risk potentially fatal cardiovascular damage.

Sodium and Potassium Balance

Your body needs nutrients in certain amounts, and your diet must provide the majority of them. The proportion of elements necessary to perform sodium's and potassium's various tasks is larger for potassium and smaller for sodium, derived mainly from salt. Healthy body function can still take place with some deviation above and below the ideal ratio, which is why you can eat more salt than you should at times. When an imbalance becomes chronic or very pronounced, however, your heart, blood vessels and the kidneys, which attempt to regulate the sodium and potassium levels in your body, can be damaged and can malfunction.

Role of Sodium

To help muscles contract, neurons fire and cells maintain homeostasis, your body needs only 200 mg of sodium per day. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that 2,300 mg of sodium is still tolerable in healthy people. The more sodium consumed, however, the higher your blood pressure will go. This occurs because sodium causes body fluid to migrate from the cells to the bloodstream, raising the volume of blood and, therefore, your blood pressure.

Role of Potassium

The body is able to check sodium's elevation of blood pressure with a greater ratio of potassium. Protein synthesis, heart conduction and muscle growth also depend on adequate dietary potassium. With an average intake of 4,700 mg of potassium, these functions take place normally, cellular fluids remain balanced and your blood pressure stays under control.

Significance in Your Diet

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, most Americans do not consume the right proportions of sodium and potassium, and one in three Americans have high blood pressure. To reverse this problem in your diet, eat less commercially processed foods and more fresh meats, fish, fruits and vegetables. Low-fat dairy products are valuable for their potassium contributions, while minimally processed whole-grain foods tend to contain less sodium than refined grain products. Focus on your sodium and potassium intake ratio to avoid high blood pressure, which is a major cause of heart attacks and stroke.