While most of us think of salt as the white, grainy stuff that makes food taste better, it's physiological significance is by far its most important characteristic. It's one of those things that our bodies need to maintain good health - but only in the right amount. Eat too much and your blood pressure rises to potentially dangerous levels and eat too little and the body's water levels increase, causing other problems.
Salt, or sodium chloride, is made of sodium and chlorine, both of which are potentially deadly by themselves, but much less harmful when combined. Sodium is an important electrolyte that controls how much water is in and outside the body's cells. It helps nerve cells send messages in the body, and without it, our muscles wouldn't function. It controls fluids in our bodies and regulates the electrical activity in our hearts, nerves, and muscles. Sodium works with potassium to regulate blood pressure and blood volume. The kidneys balance the amount of sodium in our bodies - when the levels get too low, they retain what little sodium we have - and when the levels are too high, the excess is passed in urine.
If the kidney's can't get rid of enough sodium, it begins to build up in the blood because sodium attracts and holds water. This increases the blood volume and causes the heart to work much harder because it has to move more blood through our blood vessels, which increases pressure in the arteries. This rise in blood pressure is what worries many doctors and medical researchers.
People who live in non-industrial communities and eat small amounts of salt have low average blood pressure that increases slightly as they age. However, their blood pressure increases when these populations take on modern lifestyles. Interestingly, eating lower amounts of potassium appears to increase the effect of sodium on blood pressure. Lower potassium consumption is linked with an increased risk of high blood pressure. However, higher potassium consumption protects people the most when their sodium intake is high.
Some people have salt-sensitive blood pressure, which puts them at risk for more serious health problems later. Old age, obesity, and African American ethnicity make people more likely to have salt-sensitive blood pressure. It's been estimated that if people in the US would reduce their salt intake by 3 grams per day, the annual number of new cases of coronary heart disease would fall to 60,000 from 120,000, the number of strokes would fall to 32,000 from 66,000, and the number of heart attacks would go down to 54,000 from 99,000.
Both high and low sodium consumption has been linked to cardiovascular problems. One study revealed that participants who excreted more than six grams of sodium per day and those who excreted less than four grams per day were more likely to suffer from strokes, heart attacks, or cardiovascular death.
How effective would a population-wide reduction in salt intake be? In the 1970s, Finland began a salt reduction plan and had very good results. Between 1979 and 2002, average sodium excretion fell from more than 5200 milligrams per day to less than 4000 milligrams per day in Finnish men and about 4200 milligrams per day to less than 3000 milligrams per day in Finnish women. This resulted in 10 point reductions in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure and a decrease of 75% to 80% in the rate of deaths caused by stroke and coronary heart disease.
What is a safe consumption level? The American Heart Association and other well-respected health organizations recommend that people consume less than 1500 milligrams of sodium per day. Americans currently take in about 3400 milligrams of sodium per day, 77% of which comes from packaged, processed, and restaurant food.
How can you reduce your sodium intake? When cooking, use more spices and flavorful food such as garlic, basil, thyme, and various peppers. Reduce the amount of salt required in your recipes by 30% to 50%. Cut down on processed foods that are high in sodium. Pay close attention to foods that are advertised as low-fat or low-calorie because some food makers just put more salt in these foods to enhance their flavor. Buy low-sodium foods and avoid or cut down on cured meats (salami, pepperoni, jerky, etc.). Buy fresh or frozen vegetables and avoid canned vegetables since they oftentimes contain more salt to increase their shelf life.
Remember that life is all about balance. You can eat delicious meals while cutting down on your salt intake.
By Charles Fannan
4-3-2013
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Charles_Fannan
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