The Danger Of Excessive Salt Consumption
Author: Dean Rouseberg
Time for reading: ~2
minutes
Last Updated:
October 11, 2022
Salt is an important part of the diet. As an electrolyte, it is essential for maintaining homeostasis in the body, allowing many functions to function properly. However, if you consume too much salt, it can throw the body out of balance and cause several unpleasant side effects.
Salt is an important part of the diet. As an electrolyte, it is essential for maintaining homeostasis in the body, allowing many functions to function properly. However, if you consume too much salt , it can throw the body out of balance and cause several unpleasant side effects.
The latest recommendations of nutritionists advise adults to consume no more than 2,300 mg of salt daily — that's about 1 tsp. However, the American Heart Association suggests that most adults should limit their salt intake to 1,500 mg to keep blood pressure low.
Let's find out what can happen immediately after consuming salty food , as well as more serious consequences that can occur in the long term with constant abuse of salt .
Retention of water in the body
Have you ever felt bloated after eating something very salty, such as a bag of chips or fast food? It is quite natural that the body swells after consuming a large amount of salt .
This is because the kidneys store any extra water that enters our body to compensate for the excess salt , maintaining a certain ratio of water and salt in the body. In addition to the abdomen, other parts of the body may also swell, such as the legs and arms.
Excessive thirst
Consuming foods that contain a lot of salt can lead to dry mouth and increase the feeling of thirst. The reason, again, is that the body needs to maintain a certain ratio of water and salt .
Pressure increase
If you eat a lot of salty food at one time, you may experience a temporary increase in blood pressure. This can be explained by the fact that foods with a high salt content cause a larger volume of blood to flow through the blood vessels and arteries. However, these fluctuations do not occur in all people.
But regular abuse of food containing a lot of salt can lead to constant high blood pressure or hypertension, because it is better to consume salty food in reasonable quantities.
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