In defense of the salt shaker

Sherry B, a healthy and active 61-year-old woman, came to my office several months ago. She had noted an unusually fast heart rate during exercise, and felt lightheaded when standing in line at the grocery store or after finishing her five-mile run. She carried a water bottle with her and drank from it throughout our meeting. “I don’t understand!” she said, “I’m always thirsty, even though I drink water constantly.” Most of her symptoms had started the previous year when she decided to “clean up” her lifestyle, began to exercise more regularly, and stopped eating out. She added proudly that she had thrown away her salt shaker. After ruling out diabetes, weak heart, anemia, and other medical conditions, I suspected that Sherry was one of the few Americans who may actually not consume enough salt in their daily diet. The dangers of insufficient sodium Those at higher risk for getting insufficient salt (sodium) in their diet include people who sweat heavily with exercise or at work, have normal or low blood pressure, have normal heart and kidney function, and consume a very-low-sodium diet. In addition to an inappropriately fast heart rate and lightheadedness with standing, other symptoms can include constipation, fatigue, headaches, and even fainting. In extreme cases, excessive sodium restriction can cause brain swelling. There is no simple way to diagnose this problem; routine blood tests, including measurement of sodium levels in the blood, are typically norm...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Healthy Eating Heart Health Hypertension and Stroke Source Type: blogs