You've Been Lied to About Salt

Salt is often given a bad rap in the health industry. There’s quite a bit of fearmongering about sodium intake and it’s connection to heart disease and hypertension. Today, we want to dispel some of your fears and present a different perspective.

A certain level of salt is necessary for our bodies to function properly. Salt is a mineral compound comprised of 40% sodium and 60% chloride, both of which are electrolytes. Other electrolytes include magnesium, potassium, phosphate, and calcium. We need electrolytes to send electrical signals from the brain to other parts of the body. This enables us to think clearly and move our muscles on command. We lose electrolytes through body fluids when we sweat, bleed, vomit, or experience diarrhea. Since our body can’t produce these particles, we need to ingest them through food.

Signs of electrolyte imbalance include:

• Headaches
• Confusion
• Nausea
• Muscle cramps
• Restlessness

Salt also helps maintain a healthy plasma volume in the blood stream. It regulates the volume of our blood by pulling water into the blood stream. Too much salt will result in excess water retention, so it’s important to consume salt in moderation.

Salt supports healthy acid levels in the stomach and helps to both break down food and maintain a healthy pH level in the stomach. Iodized salt is especially good for you because the thyroid needs iodine to function properly.

Salt is also vital in food preservation. Bacteria cannot live in a high salt environment. Salt draws water out of food, eliminating the environment microbes need to thrive.

Myths About Salt

Myth #1 – We Consume Too Much Salt

It is widely accepted as true that Americans eat too much salt. The most accurate way to measure levels of sodium in the body is by detecting it in urine samples over a 24 hour period. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published an analysis of these sodium excretion studies beginning in the 1950s through 2003. They found that sodium intake had remained within a narrow range throughout this time.

We are not consuming more salt than we did in the past, but our eating habits have certainly changed. Americans now get more than 70% of their salt from processed foods. According to the CDC, about 40% of sodium consumed by Americans comes from the following:

• Deli meat sandwiches
• Pizza
• Burritos and tacos
• Soups
• Savory Snacks (chips, crackers, popcorn)
• Poultry
• Pasta
• Burgers
• Egg dishes

This leads us to…

Myth #2 – If You Have High Bp, Low Salt Diets Are The Answer

Eating more whole foods and homemade foods is key to curbing our salt intake. In addition, studies have shown that low-carb diets are extremely effective in decreasing hypertension (high blood pressure), weight loss, and stabilizing blood sugar levels, all of which directly impact blood pressure.

On the other hand, a few studies have linked low sodium diets to increased insulin resistance.

• Low-salt diet increases insulin resistance in healthy subjects - PubMed (nih.gov)
• Salt intake and insulin sensitivity in healthy human volunteers - PubMed (nih.gov)
• Decreased insulin sensitivity during dietary sodium restriction is not mediated by effects of angiotensin II on insulin action - PubMed (nih.gov)

Myth#3 – Salt Increases Blood Pressure

Salt only increases blood pressure for people who are “salt-sensitive.” It’s estimated that only 25% of people without hypertension have salt-sensitivity and 30-50% of people with hypertension have salt-sensitivity. Also, 1 out of every 10 people have inverse salt sensitivity, meaning their blood pressure goes up when they eat less salt.

Myth #4 – Everyone Should Consume Less Salt

As mentioned above, our bodies need salt to function properly. If you don’t have high blood pressure, decreasing your salt intake might not have an effect on your cardiovascular health and in some cases, would have an adverse effect. Studies have shown that reduced salt diets could be linked to increased levels of blood cholesterol and blood triglycerides.

Decreasing salt intake will only be effective in lowering blood pressure for people who are salt-sensitive and already have high blood pressure. One study done on people without hypertension showed that salt intake had an insignificant impact on blood pressure. Another study found no link between sodium intake and blood pressure, even after adjusting for age, sex, race, BMI, and diabetes. Reducing your sodium intake is either unnecessary or not recommended if:

• you don’t have high bp,
• you aren’t salt-sensitive
• you are inverse salt-sensitive

Conclusion

Salt is not your enemy. We need salt for electrolyte balance, healthy neural signaling, iodine, and healthy stomach acid levels, not to mention taste! Unless you are salt sensitive, eating salt does not increase your blood pressure. If you do have high blood pressure, a low carb diet will help secrete sodium out of your blood. About 75% of salt intake in the American diet comes from processed foods, especially cereals and breads. Focusing on whole, low-carb foods is a substantial step in the right direction if you’re concerned about your blood pressure and cardiovascular health.