Some foods, such as beets and celery have naturally occurring sodium, while sodium chloride (table salt), is added to many prepared foods. Other forms of sodium added to foods include monosodium glutamate, sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), sodium nitrite and sodium benzoate. Many of these sodium compounds are found in seasonings and sauces, processed meats and fast foods. Together they can push your daily intake high enough to cause health issues, and lowering your sodium intake may stave off health problems.
Recommended Sodium Intake
The Institutes of Medicine consider 2,300 mg, or the equivalent of 1 tsp. of table salt, as the maximum you can ingest daily without adversely affecting your health. This upper limit is not acceptable for those who have high blood pressure, are African American, have diabetes, chronic kidney disease or are over 51 years of age. These individuals are more susceptible to increased blood pressure that is sodium related and should limit their sodium intake to a maximum of 1,500 mg per day. A low sodium intake is indicated for these individuals.
Low Sodium and Blood Pressure
A major impact that sodium may have on the body is an increase in blood pressure. Your body uses sodium in fluid balance regulation, transmission of nerve impulses and muscle contraction and relaxation. Your kidneys filter out excess sodium, which leaves the body in urine. When there is too much in the body, the kidneys cannot keep up and sodium builds up in your blood. Excess water moves into the blood in response to the presence of extra sodium, causing your blood volume to increase. Your blood pressure increases correspondingly as the heart attempts to move the larger volume of blood through the arteries by pumping harder. Heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and congestive heart failure are all possible results of high blood pressure, according to MayoClinic.com. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute asserts that the lower your salt intake, the lower your blood pressure.
DASH
The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension eating plan is based on a series of research studies conducted with the support of the National Institutes of Health. One study focused on the effect of lower sodium intake on the blood pressure of study participants. Three sodium levels were used: 3,300, 2,300 and 1,500 mg of sodium per day. The study, which ran for one month, assigned 412 participants to the sodium intake groups randomly. The results showed that lower sodium intake corresponded to a decrease in blood pressure. Those with high blood pressure had the greatest decrease in blood pressure.
Controversial Evidence
A 2011 study published in the "Journal of the American Medical Association" followed 3,681 European subjects for about 8 years. The study concluded that those people who consumed the lowest amount of salt were more likely to die of heart disease, the lower sodium intake being a disadvantage rather than an advantage. Medical professor, Dr. Jan A. Staessen at Belgiums University of Leuven told the "New York Times" that the study indicated that low sodium intake does not lower blood pressure. Dr. Peter Briss of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention pointed out that the study used subjects who did not suffer from high blood pressure and were young. Harvard Medical School's Dr. Frank Sacks indicated that the study should not be used to guide any public health decision.
References
- MedlinePlus: Sodium in Diet
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: Dietary Guidelines for Americans
- Mayoclinic.com: Nutrition and Healthy Eating
- National Heart Lung and Blood Institute: Lowering Your Blood Pressure With DASH
- "The New York Times": Low-Sodium Diet Ineffective, Study Finds; G. Kolata; May 3, 2011
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