The average daily intake of sodium is 3,400 mg -- more than double the recommended daily allowance -- according to statistics compiled from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While your body needs sodium to be healthy, too much sodium can lead to a number of different health problems, including loss of bone mass and hypertension.
Sodium
Your body needs sodium to perform a number of key functions. Sodium's primary role is that of an electrolyte -- an electrically charged molecule. Like all electrolytes, sodium aids in fluid balance, body temperature regulation and muscle contraction. Adults only require approximately 180 mg of daily sodium for health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes. In January 2011, the American Heart Association issued updated guidelines -- based upon an advisory from the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee -- recommending a sodium intake of 1,500 for the general public.
Hypertension
Hypertension --also known as high blood pressure--is responsible for nearly 24,000 deaths every year, the CDC notes. Hypertension significantly increases the risk of suffering from a heart attack or stroke. Certain people's blood pressure increases with a high intake of sodium, according to the University of Colorado. In addition to limiting sodium intake salt sensitive people should increase their intake of potassium-rich produce, get physically active and achieve a healthy body weight.
Bone Mineral Density
Maintaining a strong bone mineral density throughout life is key to avoiding osteoporosis -- a debilitating condition resulting from brittle bones. Research published in the October 1994 issue of the "Journal of the American Geriatrics Society" investigated the link between sodium intake and bone mineral density in a group of 300 volunteers with an average age of 73 years. The researchers found that those that men who had the highest levels of sodium in their diets had a slightly increased risk of low bone mineral density compared to those that ate a low salt diet.
Considerations
Although sodium chloride -- table salt -- is the most common form of sodium in the diet, most people's salt doesn't come from the salt shaker. According to the National Institutes of Health website MedlinePlus, most people consume the majority of their sodium from processed foods such as canned soups, frozen dinners and lunch meats.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Americans Consume Too Much Sodium (Salt)
- MedlinePlus: Sodium In Diet
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Hypertension
- Colorado State University: Diet and Hypertension
- "Journal of the American Geriatrics Society"; Dietary sodium and bone mineral density: results of a 16-year follow-up study; Ga Greendale et al.; October 1994
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