sodium intake

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delanahub
delanahub Posts: 56
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello all, I have noticed thaqt the log tracks my sodium, I have no idea how much I should be having. I exercize a lot, my hasband doesn't worry about his at all, but my blood pressure is perfect. Clues anyone?

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  • delanahub
    delanahub Posts: 56
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    Hello all, I have noticed thaqt the log tracks my sodium, I have no idea how much I should be having. I exercize a lot, my hasband doesn't worry about his at all, but my blood pressure is perfect. Clues anyone?
  • poubre
    poubre Posts: 32
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    Don't worry about your sodium if your blood pressure is fine :). Obviously you don't want to be eating salt out of a spoon, but your body knows how to regulate it's own electrolyte levels. If you're exercising, you're losing electrolytes in your sweat, and it's important to replace them.

    The salt restriction really only applies to people with heart problems (or kidney problems as well).

    Philip
  • atckel
    atckel Posts: 1
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    Actually, sodium is a concern whether you have high blood pressure or not. Yes, it does affect your blood pressure. And yes, it is true that you don't have to worry about sodium in that regard if you have your blood pressure checked by a licensed health care professional regularly and know you don't have high blood pressure. BUT, sodium also causes you to retain water (which can cause weight gain!). If you get excess amounts of sodium in your diet, then you may end up retaining water. So, for this reason, you should watch how much sodium you're getting in your diet. In moderate amounts (as in to replace electrolytes to offset your workouts), sodium is beneficial, but if you take in excessive sodium (i.e. you've drank electrolyte beverages before/after you work out to replace what you've lost through sweat), then you may retain more water than usual. As to exactly how much sodium you should be taking in, you should consult with a licensed nutritionist that can give you specific ideas for your specific body, diet, and exercise regimen.:smile:
  • poubre
    poubre Posts: 32
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    If you are in healthy condition and your sodium intake increases, yes, you will retain water. But, you will get rid of it soon. Your body is always in a balance. If you begin eating more sodium, you will gain water weight, but then you will also excrete (urinate) it out. It's a natural process of your body.

    Don't try to make sure you eat 'the right amount.' Just make sure you don't over-engorge it, and your body will take care of the rest.

    Philip
  • delanahub
    delanahub Posts: 56
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    Thanks folks I appreciate the help.
  • Helawat
    Helawat Posts: 605 Member
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    Regardless of your health/excellent blood pressure, you should take sodium levels into account. Excess sodium may not really affect you in the short run, but in the long haul a life time of excess sodium increases your chance for heart disease and strokes.

    According to researchers, "...there is a dose response to salt reduction - the larger the reduction in salt intake, the larger the reduction in blood pressure. From the well-researched link between blood pressure and deaths from stroke and heart disease, we were able to calculate how many lives would be saved by reducing salt intake."

    In the UK, the average daily salt consumption is 12g; the government recommends 6g but even this is on the high side. Getting it down to 3g could save over 50,000 lives a year according to researchers from St George's Hospital Medical School in London.

    Also, excess sodium can cause cardiovascular disease without increasing the blood pressure. Dr. Aviv from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey attests that salt increases the reactivity of platelets, the tiny blood elements that help the blood to clot. Thus, he says, high dietary sodium might lead to cardiovascular events like stroke, heart attack, and kidney disease directly, even in the absence of hypertension.

    So even though you may be healthy now with excellent blood pressure, sodium may affect you down the road. Going over your sodium from time to time is alright but if your diet is truly high in sodium, I would decrease your salt intake to a reasonable degree to decrease the chance of heart disease when you're older.

    Source:
    http://www.malehealth.co.uk/userpage1.cfm?item_id=1236
    http://heartdisease.about.com/cs/hypertension/a/saltwars.htm
  • OMISALJ
    OMISALJ Posts: 69
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    I think the maximum reccommended sodium intake is 3000 per day. And if you cook, use Non-Iodized Sea Salt. Its better than regular salt, because it passes throught the body, where as salt just stays in your body to a point.
  • msarro
    msarro Posts: 2,748 Member
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    2500-3000 mg is about right. Anything beyond that and your chances for heart disease go up enormously, as do hypertension, and hardening of the arteries which can be a precurser to dimentia and even alzheimers (according to the doctor when my grandfather was diagnosed). If you are a smoker you'll want to have even less because that raises blood pressure as well. Once blood pressure levels go up, its next to impossible to get them back down. The hard part is getting that little in your diet - its next to impossible unless you grow your own food and hunt every bit of meat you consume.

    There's been a lot of research showing that if you are eating food with sodium, try to stick with foods that also contain potassium. Other research is showing that decreasing sodium intake and increasing potassium intake may in fact lower blood pressure.

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