Sodium

More than 95% of us consume excessive amounts of sodium. Recommendations suggest young and otherwise healthy individuals should restrict their daily sodium intake to 2400 mg - equivalent to about a teaspoon of salt.

Half of the population ought to consume a maximum of 1500 mg. These include middle-aged and older individuals and African-Americans along with those experiencing hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, kidney disease. Women with a history of pre-eclampsia and individuals born prematurely or with a low birth weight are especially susceptible to harm from sodium.

While most equate sodium to elevated blood pressure, sodium causes a wide range of toxic reactions. Sodium increases the risk of stomach cancer, obesity, kidney stones, osteoporosis, thickening of the heart muscle and predisposes to dementia. Sodium appears harmful to the intestinal microbiome and interrupts the gut-brain axis. Some evidence links this to an increased likelihood of headache and cognitive impairment as well as reduced blood flow to the cortex and hippocampus.

Sodium may precipitate low grade inflammation and induce atherosclerosis often referred to as hardening of the arteries. Additionally sodium interferes with the function of the endothelial cells lining the vessels throughout the body and leads to formation of reactive oxygen species or free radicals that further compromise organ function.

As we evolved over millions of years the average daily sodium intake remained less than 200 mg. This changed about 5000 years ago. Our current consumption exceeds 3400 mg and in many cases almost twice this amount. Genetic adaptation requires millennia. As a consequence excess sodium results in millions of deaths each year.

Read the nutrition labels on your grocery purchases and ask about the sodium content when ordering from a sit down or take out food establishment. A Big Mac contains more than 1000 mg of sodium; P.F. Chang’s Fried Rice combo exceeds 3000 mg. Are these food indiscretions really worth the negative delayed health consequences?