Home › Nutrition › NUTRITION WHY’S #39: WHY SODIUM ? – Sodium is the most abundant mineral in your blood stream and bodily fluids but it is very low inside all the cells of your body.

NUTRITION WHY’S #39: WHY SODIUM ? – Sodium is the most abundant mineral in your blood stream and bodily fluids but it is very low inside all the cells of your body.

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NUTRITION WHY’S #39: WHY SODIUM ? – Sodium is the most abundant mineral in your blood stream and bodily fluids but it is very low inside all the cells of your body. The main source of sodium is salt (sodium chloride) either hidden in processed snack foods or added from a salt shaker during cooking or at the table. Your blood levels of sodium reflect your state of hydration. When there is less water in the body, sodium goes up. When there is more sodium goes down. Since dehydration can kill you in a few days without water, nature has evolved precise control of sodium in the blood of humans and other land animals. The kidneys under the control of a brain cell hormone (antidiuretic hormone or ADH) controls sodium and water balance so that any extra sodium you eat gets excreted in your urine. About 30% of the body’s sodium is stored on bone and is available to raise blood sodium as needed when it falls due to losses in sweat. If I collect your urine for 24 hours, I can tell how much salt you ate that day. Sodium is not the cause of high blood pressure except in people with high blood levels of insulin. While insulin mainly controls blood sugar another effect is to keep sodium from being excreted in the urine. Since half of all Americans and many in other countries have excess abdominal fat and high insulin levels, the main cause of hypertension around the world is overweight and obesity not salt! Public health authorities in the U.S. recommend 2300 mg and the World Health Organization recommends 2000 mg per day. The average salt intake around the world is about 4000 mg. The most important things you can do to control your blood pressure are Healthy Active Lifestyle to excrete salt in your sweat, 6-8 glasses of water a day to excrete sodium in your urine, and Balanced Nutrition with less salty snack foods and more potassium, an element that balances out sodium and will be discussed in my next post!! #drdavidheber #sodium #salt #hypertension #bloodpressure to learn more go to www.drdavidheber.com and www.herbalifenutritioninstitute.com

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Categories: Nutrition

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