Salt Good Or Bad For Health: Health Trends
Salt Good Or Bad For Health: You have probably heard or read somewhere that eating too much salt is bad for you. In fact, there have been thousands of articles written on that exact subject, but those articles haven’t always examined the full scope of the relationship between salt intake and heart health. A 2016 study by Columbia University and Boston University, cited in Science Daily, looked at 269 salt-intake-related academic papers written between 1979 and 2014 and found that there was deep disagreement among the authors. The study judged whether each paper “supported or refuted the link between reduced sodium intake and lower rates of heart disease, stroke, and death” and found that 54% supported the idea, 33% refuted the idea, and 13% were inconclusive. They also found that the papers’ authors on either side of the issue were “more likely to cite reports that drew a similar conclusion than to cite reports drawing a different conclusion.
What Is Salt and Where Does It Come From?
Most of the salt you eat comes from seawater or is mined from deep within the earth.
Seawater is diverted to a shallow evaporation pond connected by man-made canals. The pond fills with water, and through the natural process of evaporation, the water
slowly disappears, leaving salt to be harvested.
Underground salt (from rock salt) is extracted by drilling or cutting a hole into the rock, and then using machinery to break up the salt into crushed pieces. Miners
can also erect walls around a salt bed, and then inject the bed with forced water to dissolve the mineral.
The end result is a liquid salt solution that’s pumped and held in an evaporation tank. The liquid evaporates, and the salt remains.
To some people, salt is nothing more than an ingredient in their favorite dishes. But salt doesn’t only add flavor to foods. The body needs salt, and it plays an
important role in preserving food.
Hunters in ancient times often killed more than they could quickly consume. To protect the food from bacteria, mold, and spoilage, they would sprinkle salt on the meat
to draw out the moisture and keep it fresh for a longer period of time.
Salt also preserved corpses and was used in the mummification process. Due to the high demand in ancient civilizations, salt was heavily taxed, traded, and even used
as a form of currency.
What happens when you have too much salt?
Hypernatremia—too much sodium in the blood—is essentially the same as dehydration, when there is too little water in the body. In acute cases it’s usually not caused
by eating too much salt. Instead, it can be brought on by not drinking enough water, severe diarrhea, vomiting, fever, kidney disease, diabetes insipidus (loss of
water hormone), certain medications, and large burn areas on the skin.
Symptoms of hypernatremia include:
Thirst
Frequent urination
Water retention, or weight gain
Puffiness, swelling, or bloating
Frequent headaches
What happens when you have take less salt?
There is some evidence suggesting that a low-salt diet can be downright harmful.
The negative health effects include:
Elevated LDL cholesterol and triglycerides: Salt restriction has been linked to elevated LDL (the “bad”) cholesterol and triglycerides.
Heart disease: Several studies report that less than 3,000 mg of sodium per day is linked to an increased risk of dying from heart disease.
Heart failure: One analysis found that restricting salt intake increased the risk of dying for people with heart failure. The effect was staggering, with a 160% higher
risk of death in individuals who reduced their salt intake.
Insulin resistance: Some studies have reported that a low-salt diet may increase insulin resistance.
Type 2 diabetes: One study found that in type 2 diabetes patients, less sodium was associated with an increased risk of death.
Also read: Benefits Of Doing The Plank Exercise Everyday: Health Trends
Salt Keeps the Body Hydrated:
Salt also promotes healthy hydration levels and electrolyte balance, which is necessary for organs to function properly. Your cells, muscles, and tissues need water,
and salt helps these parts of your body maintain the right amount of fluid. Inadequate hydration can cause dehydration, making you more susceptible to muscle cramps,
dizziness, and fatigue.
How much salt a day is safe?
For those who don’t have high blood pressure, there’s evidence that the amount of salt you consume does little to affect your blood pressure and other health markers.
That being said, there’s also evidence that consuming less sodium is a smarter strategy in the long term. Essentially, though, unless the amount of sodium in your
blood is causing problems, any amount between 500 mg and 3,400 mg per day is likely safe. A better idea, however, would be to try to stay within the AHA’s guidelines
of 1,500 mg to 2,300 mg per day. That’s a range that most doctors and scientists would agree on.