Dangers of Too Much Salt and Why a Little Salt is Good for You

A little salt is necessary for health, but too much salt can cause problems.

I love salt. It is something that I automatically add to food and there are some things like chips that I couldn't even imagine eating without a generous sprinkling of the stuff. I know that there are dangers associated with too much salt, but I try and console myself with the knowledge that I live in a tropical climate and exercise every day and so sweat a lot; this means that I lose a lot of sodium throughout the day. There is a history of cardiac problems in my family so the dangers of too much salt are something that I do need to consider.

A little salt is good for you

Our body needs the mineral sodium in order to survive. If you are sick in hospital and can't drink then you may be given an intravenous infusion containing sodium chloride because we can't function long without it. Sodium chloride is another name for salt; it is the sodium that we need for health. A little salt is good for you because it is needed by your body to perform some cellular functions and to help the nerve cells send information. Our bodies can't manufacture salt so we depend on food for our requirements. Most of us get plenty of salt in our diet without making any special arrangements.

Dangers of too much salt

- The biggest risk with too much salt is that it can raise blood pressure. High sodium in our bodies means that we hold onto water and it is this that causes our blood pressure to rise. If you imagine that our blood vessels are like a hose pipe; this extra water is similar to pushing more and more volume through the pipe. The heart needs to work a lot harder. This pressure also causes a lot of wear and tear and it could eventually cause a cardiovascular accident (stroke).

- Too much salt can also lead to kidney disease.

- If you have liver disease then too much salt can increase your chances of serious problem like ascities.

The real problem that we have with salt is that most of our food already contains plenty of salt. Processed food in particular is very high in sodium.

How much salt is good for you?

According to NHS choices the safe amount of salt in our diet is 2.5g of sodium which is equivalent to 6 grams of salt. This is far less than people in most European countries currently consume. It would probably benefit most of us to examine the amount of salt in our diet so that we avoid any negative consequences.

Sources

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sodium/NU00284

http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/1138.aspx?CategoryID=51&SubCategoryID=167http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/medical_notes/393201.stm