Visiting the salt flats in Bolivia made made me think of the value of salt. Many people believe that too much salt is bad for you, and can lead to health problems. This is an ongoing debate with research supporting both sides of the argument. Unfortunately there's no definitive answer as to what's right or wrong-- so moderation is key.
I recently took care of a healthy 60 year old man who had continuous seizures in the ICU due to restricting salt in his diet BC he believed that it was "the healthy thing to do". Giving him back salt, literally helped save his life! So I'm here today to talk about why salt is good for you!
The American Heart Association recommends less than 2 grams of salt per day. Those with heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney disease, stroke, or lower extremity swelling should take less than this amount.
Salt is important for the normal functioning of all our vital organs - like the heart and brain.
Salt, or sodium chloride, is broken up into sodium and chloride ions. Today we'll focus on sodium ions which are important for the functioning of many cell membrane transporters that allow for important cell communication and signaling. These transporters are located on the surface of the cells of many important organs. Without salt, these transporters don't function properly and lead to problems associated with delayed cell signaling -- like change in mental status, seizures, confusion, low heart rate, abnormal heart rhythm, etc.
Hormones depend on salt to maintain water balance in the body and blood pressure. Water is the main fluid in your body,and is roughly 60 percent of your body weight. Water is necessary to maintain the health of all our cells and organs. Salt signals hormones to shift water into different body spaces to help maintain fluid balance. This fluid balance is vital for our bodies to function normally.
Salt is a source of iodine. Iodine is necessary for the creation of thyroid hormone. Thyroid hormone is important in maintaining your body's metabolic rate and proper functioning of all organs.
Iodine deficiency leads to goiter (or enlargement of the thyroid gland), like in this gentleman:
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