March 29, 2024

Transpero

Tiny articles, big solutions.

What are the Health Risks or Benefits of Sodium?

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The primary source of sodium in our diet comes from salt, or you can say salt is the major contributor of Sodium in the body. The terms salt and sodium interchangeably used at times. Both the higher or lower intake of salt can affect health in a positive and a negative way. Higher intake of salt can lead to severe health problems while the lower in-take might lead to weakness and improper functioning of the body.

Thus, it is necessary to consume a balanced amount of Sodium in the body to avoid certain risks. The right amount of sodium in the body will be beneficial for health. For this purpose, listed below are few health benefits.

Health Benefits of Sodium

–       Helps Balancing Fluids in the Body

Keeping your body hydrated is necessary, for maintaining good health of your body. Sodium is the best way to keep your body fully hydrated and balanced. The consumption of the right amount of sodium is a great source of balancing fluids in the body. Besides, this for an athlete or runner consumption of sodium is really good as it will help their body maintaining fluid levels in the body.

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–       Muscle Contraction

Muscle contraction is very common in athletes because during the exercise the body loses an excessive amount of sodium. The muscle contraction is also known as heat cramps, where the body feels severe contraction sensation, which is a result of excessive loss of sodium. Thus, it is advisable to consume the appropriate amount of salt to balance the sodium level in the body.

–       Sending Nerve Impulses

For maintaining good health of your mind and for the proper functioning of your brain sodium is a great source. By this, it does not mean that you can consume any type of salt and in a higher amount. For your brain to work efficiently and to perform better, consuming the salts that naturally exist is a better option. In this respect, sea salt or pink salt are the best options you can choose.

–       Good for Athletes

As already discussed as an athlete is very important to maintain the balanced amount of salt in the body. The deficiency of salt might lead to various health issues and can be fatal for health. Thus, maintain an appropriate level of sodium in the body is necessary.

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Health Risks of Sodium

Besides some health benefits, the higher intake of sodium can lead to health risks, which can be fatal for health. Some of the health risks of higher intake of sodium are as follows:

–       High Blood Pressure

When talking about high consumption of sodium the first thing that pops in mind is high blood pressure. The excessive intake of sodium or salt can lead to high blood pressure, which can lead to various other severe problems. It is a very common issue that is directly related to the excessive intake of salt.

You should keep a check and control on the amount of salt you are utilizing, especially when cooking. Using natural salts will not cause that much harm, so it is advised to make use of sea salt or pink salt.

–       Heart Diseases

Moving on further, the next common health problem that is related to the excessive intake of sodium is the heart problems. The increased amount of salts in your diet can simply lead to heart attacks or strokes, which might lead to death. Thus, forbidding the higher intake of salt is necessary to avoid serious risks.

–       Affects Digestive System

The digestive system is one of the most sensitive organs and needs special care. Treating it with care and in a proper way is necessary. The higher intake of sodium (salt) can directly affect your stomach or the digestive system. The poor digestive system can lead to nausea, diarrhea and vomiting. It is very important to make use of salt in your diet in such a way that it will not harm your health in any way.

There is no need to add the extra salt in vegetables, which contain natural slats. However, still if you feel like adding salt then using natural salts is the better option.

–       Dizziness, Instability, Weakness  

Described above are some of the risks that might appear due to excessive use of sodium. But what if the amount of sodium in your body relatively decrease? It is also risky for health as it might lead to some severe problems. The very common problems that can occur due to loss of sodium in the body are dizziness, instability or weakness.

Conclusion

The major source of sodium is salt, which is present naturally. The use of Sodium is either good or bad for health depending on how you consume it in your body. The excessive or decreased amount of sodium both ways can harm your health. Thus, it is advisable to maintain a balanced level of sodium in your body to stay healthy.