Sodium, does it matter?

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sapalee
sapalee Posts: 409 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm wondering if someone young with low blood pressure and active workouts should be concerned about going over sodium recs.

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  • EvEboEvie
    EvEboEvie Posts: 115 Member
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    I wouldn't run out of the house screaming in terror if you have a couple of bad days. That said, you definitely don't want to make it a habit and end up with high blood pressure as you get older.
  • JaclynnGail
    JaclynnGail Posts: 204 Member
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    I am always over on my sodium...I, also, have low blood pressure and work out a lot. I try not to worry about it too much, but lower my sodium intake before special events that I want to look good for...just to make sure I'm not retaining a bunch of water. I don't know...I figure I'll re-evaluate down the road if I need to, but I tried to do low sodium a few years back and was light headed all the time. Low blood pressure runs in my family, so I try not to worry about it as long as I am feeling healthy and losing/maintaining my weight.
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,874 Member
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    It matters to me because it makes me feel like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters, but your mileage may vary!
  • PJilly
    PJilly Posts: 21,723 Member
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    I'm not young, but I have low blood pressure and I drink a lot of water, so I really don't worry about it.
  • BarbWhite09
    BarbWhite09 Posts: 1,128 Member
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    I say watch your sodium...Even if you don't have blood pressure problems now, you could when you're older if you chose not to watch your sodium now.
  • jhardenbergh
    jhardenbergh Posts: 1,035 Member
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    I usually eat less sodium, but there are days when I go over, both my bp and cholesterol are spotless, I worry about sodium mostly before weigh in days. I don't want to retain much water. I usually drink a ton of water, so not overly worried about the sodium.
  • becalee26
    becalee26 Posts: 185 Member
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    I am up 4 lbs after going up on sodium 2 days in a row and can't get it back down. I really have to watch the sodium! I even drink 3 liters of water a day to try to help with the salt.
  • CampKelly
    CampKelly Posts: 172 Member
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    Get in the habit now because it's so very hard to change these habits as you get older! I didn't even realize I had a sodium problem until I started tracking on mfp. I've never been one to "add" salt to my food so I thought I was fine.....not!
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
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    I'm 36 years old, have low blood pressure and honestly? I don't pay much attention to it. Maybe I should, but it doesn't seem to negatively affect me so I'm not overly concerned with it.
  • Beezil
    Beezil Posts: 1,677 Member
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    I do, but high blood pressure and diabetes run in my family. Diabetes on my dad's side, high BP on my mother's. I don't think it's essential for everyone to strictly keep track of it, but it's certainly not a bad idea even for those of us who are already healthy. :)
  • elcieloesazul
    elcieloesazul Posts: 448 Member
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    I only pay attention to it once a week: the night before my weigh-in day. I don't worry too much about it as a micro because our bodies needs the mineral, but it really does affect the scale for me.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,688 Member
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    I'm wondering if someone young with low blood pressure and active workouts should be concerned about going over sodium recs.
    Nope. If you're getting in enough potassium (ratio for sodium/potassium is 2.5:1 to 4:1) and sufficiently hydrated, shouldn't be an issue.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal & Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • SteveZT
    SteveZT Posts: 16
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    I'm wondering if someone young with low blood pressure and active workouts should be concerned about going over sodium recs.

    salt,among other things,causes hardening of the arteries (arteriosclerosis) which is a common disorder, and is manifested as buildup of calcified plaque on the inside walls or arteries, causing all sorts of problems later in life .

    Google arteriosclerosis to find out more
  • sapalee
    sapalee Posts: 409 Member
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    I've found on the days I'm really low I tend to get cramps in my feet and crave pickels and olives even though I'm not usually a salty craver.

    Thanks for the info on the potassium ratio, I'll start looking at that. I've had a hard time getting my potassium up to help with cramps as well.
  • PJilly
    PJilly Posts: 21,723 Member
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    I'm wondering if someone young with low blood pressure and active workouts should be concerned about going over sodium recs.

    salt,among other things,causes hardening of the arteries (arteriosclerosis) which is a common disorder, and is manifested as buildup of calcified plaque on the inside walls or arteries, causing all sorts of problems later in life .

    Google arteriosclerosis to find out more
    I googled, and I checked out a few links, but none of the ones I've looked at anyway attribute it to salt or sodium. They list high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, lack of exercise, and a diet high in saturated fat as being the causes you can control.

    This topic is of great interest to me, as I have quite low blood pressure, and a number of sources list eating more salt as the first thing to do to treat low BP. My cholesterol (all my blood work, actually) numbers are in great shape. However, there is a family history of high blood pressure and diabetes, so I'll continue to keep tabs on my BP and blood work, as well as take into consideration what the medical community advises. There's often conflicting information out there, so it's hard to know what's best to do sometimes.

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