The Importance of a Balanced Sodium Intake

Posted June 23rd, 2008 by Jamo Nezzar

Low sodium intake may lead to high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, especially if you are consuming less than 2,300 mg of sodium per day. Scientists reported that adults who consumed less than 2,300 mg of sodium per day were 37% more likely to die from cardiovascular causes than those who ingested more than 2,300 mg. What's worse, a low sodium diet increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. We all know that too much sodium can be dangerous as well, so how in the world do we find the happy medium?

The expert advice is that you should consume 15-20 mg of sodium per pound of bodyweight.

Example:

For a woman weighing 120 lbs: 120x15 = 1800 mg of sodium daily.
For a man weighing 210 lbs: 210x15 = 3150 mg of sodium daily.

Now with all this said, I know that a lot of people out there are going to say, "How can I do that? I have no idea how to measure my sodium intake and I certainly don't have the time to go to the doctor’s to get tests done!"

Relax! (which will also help lower your blood pressure). All you have to do is check the sodium content in the food you eat. Read the nutritional information label on the back of every container of food to find this information. This will give you an idea of your total intake.

Example:

1 tsp of salt = 2,325 mg of sodium
1 can light tuna = 558 mg
1 oz of peanut butter =230 mg
1 slice of bread = 170 mg

The easiest way to let your sodium check and balance itself is to eat only natural foods. Do not buy canned goods. Buy only fruits and veggies fresh from the grocery store, or better yet, a local farmer’s market.

Not only will this keep your sodium in check, but it will also keep your vitamin and mineral count closer to where it needs to be. You need to be getting plenty of fruits and vegetables each day or your body will be starved for vital nutrients and antioxidants.

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Be Careful!!!

On June 24th, 2008 Brian Zehetner says:

It's important to note that the study quoted above was an observational study and not an interventional one. In other words, subjects' diets were reviewed after looking at self-reported recalls. It wasn't a clinical trial where one group followed a low sodium diet and another followed a higher sodium diet to see which one faired better. Because of this, we can't establish a cause and effect relationship here...

It's true that, for those that don't have high blood pressure, severe salt restriction may be a bit overblown, especially since people have such drastically different responses to salt loads. That said, there is plenty of research that indicates that many Americans simply eat too much salt, and for those with HTN, it would be wise to cut back. The newer Institute of Medicine guidelines actually call for 1500mgs of sodium per day for those with HTN and even down to 1200mgs per day for older Americans. Now, is this practical?? Maybe not...but it is something to strongly consider.
Following a low sodium diet can be very difficult in today's food environment, but Jamo's advice to eat natural foods is certainly a good start. Because the 1500mgs is a challenge for many hypertensive individuals, most go back to the original recommendation of 2300mgs.

Bottom line...I don't want people thinking that if they follow a low sodium diet (or if they just so happen to not eat much salt), now they need to add salt to their food to reduce their risk of chronic disease. After all, sodium increases risk of various cancers and gastrointestinal conditions as well, not to mention congestive heart failure and edema :) And again, it is one of several ways to reduce HTN, along with more potassium, not smoking, weight loss (if needed) etc....

Brian Zehetner MS,RD,CSSD,CSCS
JamCore and Myfittribe "Nutrition Guy"