Eating too much salt has negative health consequences, but salt -- or sodium -- is essential for good health. You don't need to eat a lot, but you do need to consume enough salt to ensure that critical body processes continue to function. An imbalance of sodium can cause health problems ranging from mild to severe.
Importance of Sodium
Sodium has several essential functions in the body. It helps regulate blood pressure and the amount of fluid in your body, including blood volume. Sodium is essential for creating the electrical impulses that stimulate muscles to contract and nerves to release chemical neurotransmitters. It's also needed for the absorption of some nutrients. You must have the right balance of sodium to be sure it can fulfill its roles. Your body closely monitors sodium and uses several mechanisms to keep the levels tightly regulated.
Low Sodium
If sodium levels are too low, extra water enters your cells and causes them to swell. Low sodium, or hyponatremia, can be caused by having too much water in your body as a result of medical conditions such as cancer, kidney disease or heart failure. It can also result from having too little water and sodium, which occurs when exercising in the heat, vomiting or having diarrhea without replenishing salt and fluids. Hyponatremia can also occur if you lose a lot of blood due to trauma. The brain is especially vulnerable to changes in sodium levels, so symptoms such as confusion or lethargy are often the first to appear. Muscle twitching and seizures occur as the imbalance becomes more extreme. Severe hypokalemia is a medical emergency that can result in coma and death.
High Sodium
When your sodium levels are too high, it results in a condition called hypernatremia. Hypernatremia occurs when your body loses more water than sodium. The most common cause is dehydration from diarrhea, kidney disease, diabetes, excessive sweating, taking diuretics or not drinking enough fluids. If your sodium is too high, you experience thirst first, then the imbalance gives way to severe muscle twitches and sometimes seizures. If you experience excessive thirst and suspect your sodium is too high, consult a physician. Never attempt to self-treat as sodium levels must be reduced slowly to avoid brain damage.
Considerations
The Institute of Medicine recommends a daily adequate intake of 1.5 g of sodium, or 1,500 mg. Low sodium is more often caused by a medical condition than dietary deficiency. But it's easier than you might realize to consume a lot more than the recommended amount. For example, if you ate 1 cup of canned tomato soup plus a double-patty burger, you'd get an entire day's worth of sodium.
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