4 Things Every Woman Should Know About Sodium

One of the greatest villains of American diet is salt. Every health expert recommends that salt consumption should be as low as possible, but this is easier said than done. Following are the four things that every woman should know about sodium:

1.    No need to go slow
Your health will be improved by curtailing the sugar intake below 2,300 milligrams is not true and neither is there any data or study which proves this. According to a report which tracked the health of people consuming different amounts of salt by the help of various studies and clinical trails, there is not enough evidence to prove that the people consuming salt less than 2,300 milligrams were at a lesser risk of having heart attacks and strokes than those consuming salt more than 2,300 milligrams.

2.    It may be harmful to consume low salt diets
One must not forget that sodium is an essential nutrient and multitudes of functions in the body are served by salt; these functions may include aiding the transmission of signals in the brain and also helping to control heart rate. Levels of fat and cholesterol can increase if the sodium intake drops and this may also escalate the cardiovascular issues. A study on the people who had heart diseases or diabetes showed that those who consumed less than 2,000 milligrams of sodium a day were 37 percent more likely to die of heart disease than those who consumed 4,000 to 6,000 milligrams.

3.    Effect on blood pressure
Water is attracted by sodium and high sodium diet draws water into the blood stream due to which volume of blood is increased and this can increase the blood pressure over a period of time. While everyone knows that lowering sodium intake has positive effect on blood pressure but one cannot rule out the fact that cutting almost all the salt from our diet may lead to high cholesterol levels and insulin resistance. So, it is not advisable to completely remove the salt content from your diet.  So, while no one would advise to have a very high sodium intake in your daily diet, but completely removing the salt content from your diet or lowering it below the permissible limit may have adverse health effects as well.

4.    At the end, we all need a happier medium
Consumption of salt is well above 2,300 milligrams for too many Americans and this can have serious consequences on the health of all those people. People who consumed 3,600 milligrams or more per day for up to 18 months and were also prehypertensive were about twice as likely to have heart attacks, strokes or heart surgeries 15 years later than people who consumed salt less than 2,300 milligrams per day. Ultimately, every one of us should meet the happier medium i.e. salt intake should be neither too high nor too low for people who want their health not to be adversely affected by consumption of salt in improper quantity. On should not forget the fact that the salt content in fast foods and packaged foods is much higher and so if you looking to achieve the happier medium, you should try to avoid these as much as possible.

Source: http://authoritynutrition.com/how-much-sodium-per-day/
Source: http://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm315393.htm
Source: http://www.oprah.com/health/Lowering-Your-Sodium-Intake-Salt-Health