Sodium - how important is it?

Ainat266
Ainat266 Posts: 12 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
MFP has given me a daily limit of 2500 for sodium. This seems high to me. I've only been on here 2 weeks, and I don't think I've been near that amount on any day. I believe the general maximum limit for adults is 6g a day (6000mg).

The other thing that may be an issue is the database? For example, I just looked up a packet of ready salted crisps (I figured they'd be high in salt so would be a good example) and there are several entries for the same brand/packet size etc. They actually all have the same calorie count, but in terms of sodium range from 210 to 1400. Kind of answering my own question in terms of logging - with food from packets check the packet rather than just assuming the figures on here are correct. I do check the calorie figures, but not the others if I'm honest. Time to start.

In relation to my original question though (sorry, I know I can ramble on a bit even in digital form!) - how important is sodium? Both in terms of weight loss and in terms of general health. I know the body needs some salt, but I very rarely add any extra other than what is already in food. I know it's dangerous to have too much, but is it dangerous to have too little?
I did try searching on the forums, but most threads are referring to too much sodium rather than too little.

Replies

  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,069 Member
    if you have too little it can affect your blood pressure (lowering it). i don't think this is all that serious - you would feel dizzy occasionally and maybe faint. i have low blood pressure - its not a serious condition. the affects can be the same as low blood sugar though so if you ever have these symptoms its best to get it checked.

    ETA: its easy to get confused when entering sodium as some products list it in grams instead of milligramms and worse some list it as salt (not even sure how to work this one out - its either x4 or /4?!?)
  • RaineyLaney
    RaineyLaney Posts: 605 Member
    Too much sodium can raise your blood pressure ot unsafe levels. The American Heart Association says we should strive for 1500 a day, but not to go over 2400 a day. You may want to google them and look at their website on sodium.

    As for mutiple entries. Different countrys (USA, Canada etc) have different nutrient contents as in sodium. Some could be people just not entering the food properly per lables on the packages. If you have the nutrient lable, then use it when you pick the MFP entry. I also look to see how many people have agreed to what is posted for an entry. Usually the higher amount that agree, is usually the right one. Some people only want calories and carbs and don't enter anything else, which is bad for those who want to know all and have it all listed.
  • FredDoyle
    FredDoyle Posts: 2,273 Member
    It 6 grams/ day of salt (sodium chloride) listed as a boundary in the UK, which relates by weight to about 2400 mg of sodium per day.
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    As Rainey said, AHA recommends 1500mg of sodium a day. The average person consumes 3500mg or more. Your sodium goes up with processed foods alot. It's pretty surprising actually. I never realized how much sodium was in foods before starting MFP. Some days I'm over my limit, and some I'm under. It just depends on what I'm eating.

    Having a high sodium diet could lead to high blood pressure. Also, puts you at RISK for stroke, heart failure, osteoporosis, stomach cancer, kidney disease, kidney stones, enlarged heart muscle, and headaches.

    Furthermore, high sodium leads to water retention which leads to puffiness, bloating and weight gain.

    **Taken from AHA's website.

    Not saying these things will happen, but you're at risk for them.
    Whenever I go over on sodium, I definitely notice water retention though the next day on the scale. I find MFP's Sodium goal is actually pretty nice middle-ground. Not too much and not too little.
  • Ainat266
    Ainat266 Posts: 12 Member
    It 6 grams/ day of salt (sodium chloride) listed as a boundary in the UK, which relates by weight to about 2400 mg of sodium per day.

    Thank you for clarifying. :-) I didn't know that.

    Today I appear to be under again. According to MFP I have only consumed 809 sodium instead of the 2500 it thinks I need. As long as I'm not causing myself any problems I'm not going to worry about it too much. :-)
  • gigglesinthesun
    gigglesinthesun Posts: 860 Member
    The absolute minimum your body needs is 500 mg, and I know this because I used to have days where I have 300 and my blood pressure is not happy. Luckily it is something it is something that can be addressed fairly easily.
  • bridgie101
    bridgie101 Posts: 817 Member
    Too little and your electrolytic balance goes out. You are a slightly saline person. :D Do you remember osmosis? the travelling of liquids through a semi-permeable membrane from low concentrations to high concentrations, evening them out?

    you do want sodium and your body can get rid of the spare sodium without too much tragedy. I think unless you are eating a ton of processed foods that it's a waste of time even thinking about it. And i salt my potatoes. :)
  • RoosMommy02
    RoosMommy02 Posts: 10 Member
    If you drink tons of water then sodium is VERY important. My grandma used to drink 8-12 glasses of water a day. She never added extra salt to her food either but with the amount of water she drank, she literally washed away all the sodium in her body so she blacked out and damn near died twice because of it. They had to rush her to the hospital and it took a good day or two before she came around enough for us to tell her what happened.
  • haymancm
    haymancm Posts: 280 Member
    1500/Day for sodium is what I strive for, but if you increase your potassium intake to 40x your goal weight, it definitely flushes out the sodium if you are higher than 1500/day. You should drink more than 1/2 your body weight in oz for water, anyways.
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    Too little will kill you, but fortunately it is rare for that happen unless for a medical reason. I had to spend a week in ICU hooked up to a high saline drip because my anti-diuretic hormone levels went out of control for a few days. I do know that you can suffer low blood pressure if you levels get a bit low.
  • issyfit
    issyfit Posts: 1,077 Member
    DH's blood sodium was too low in his last blood work and they said they would hospitalize him if he couldn't get it back in the normal range. He was in urgent care at the time for shingles so they gave him an IV of saline solution. Due to his lymphoma he was on diuretics as well as some heart meds. They immediately told him to stop the diuretics and limit his fluids. His sodium is now at the low end of normal.
  • ArizonaBMC
    ArizonaBMC Posts: 5
    Actually, new evidence suggests that cutting sodium intake has little affect on your health. In fact, there is no scientific consensus as to how much we should be eating, whether minimizing it or maximizing it. I recommend this article from Gary Taubes.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/03/opinion/sunday/we-only-think-we-know-the-truth-about-salt.html?pagewanted=all
  • Ainat266
    Ainat266 Posts: 12 Member
    Thank you for all the replies guys. :)

    I don't think I'm too low for anything too bad to happen. I do occasionally add extra salt to potatoes and things, but in general I don't add salt to anything as I prefer black pepper for seasoning. Although I don't think I'm the best of eaters, I don't eat that much processed and pre-packaged, etc stuff. I don't think I'm taking in a stupidly low level though so I should be fine I think. :)

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