Osteoporosis & Sodium Chloride Levels

Calcium strengthens your bones, keeping them solid and strong. When you have osteoporosis, your bones start to lose calcium and become soft. This condition can severely affect your health, because it increases your likelihood of experiencing painful bone fractures. To reduce this risk, you not only need to add calcium to your diet, you also must avoid substances that could be depleting calcium in your bones. One example is sodium chloride, or table salt.

Significance

Increased sodium intake can set off a chain reaction in your body. When you eat foods high in sodium, your body retains more fluid, because sodium and water are attracted to each other. This increases your volume of blood, forcing your heart to work harder and raising your blood pressure. Your body tries to remedy the situation. Calcium is released from your bones to bind with the sodium in your blood. The combined calcium and sodium stimulate your kidneys to release both minerals via your urine. This can be helpful in lowering your blood pressure but harmful to your bone health, because you lose bone-strengthening calcium.

Daily Intake

The recommended daily intake for sodium chloride is about 2,300 mg, or 1 tsp. a day. The number drops to 1,500 mg, or less than 3/4 tsp. per day if you are 51 or older or you have a chronic condition like hypertension or diabetes. But most Americans get significantly more sodium. This can be a risk factor in the development of osteoporosis.

Recommendations

Your bones can benefit from reducing the amount of sodium in your diet if you are taking in too much, according to a data analysis published in the February 2008 "Journal of Nutrition." Processed and frozen foods tend to be high in sodium, as are bread, biscuits, pizza and soy sauce. If you replace these foods with fresh foods like fruits, vegetables and lean proteins, you can significantly reduce the sodium in your diet. Also avoid salting your food as much as possible.

Call for Research

While a link between increased salt intake and osteoporosis risk has been established, the effect of sodium intake on fracture risk, one of the chief side effects associated with osteoporosis, has not been fully evaluated. Further studies are needed, but consuming a low-sodium diet can still contribute to your heart health by lowering your blood pressure.