Salt, or sodium chloride, is essential for bodily functions like nerve transmission and muscle contraction. However, consuming too much salt can have detrimental effects on your health.
High Blood Pressure:
One of the most significant risks of excessive salt intake is high blood pressure (hypertension). When you consume too much salt, your body retains excess fluid, increasing blood volume and putting more strain on your blood vessels. This can lead to:
- Increased risk of heart disease: High blood pressure damages blood vessels, making them more prone to atherosclerosis (plaque buildup). This can lead to heart attacks and strokes.
- Kidney damage: The kidneys work to filter excess sodium from the blood. Over time, high salt intake can strain the kidneys, potentially leading to chronic kidney disease.
Other Health Risks
While high blood pressure is the most well-known consequence of excessive salt intake, other health problems can also arise:
- Osteoporosis: High salt intake can increase calcium excretion in urine, potentially leading to bone loss and increased risk of osteoporosis.
- Stomach cancer: Some studies suggest a link between high salt intake and an increased risk of stomach cancer.
- Fluid retention: Excess salt can cause your body to retain water, leading to bloating, swelling, and weight gain.
How Much Salt is Too Much?
The NHS current recommended daily guidance on daily salt intake for adults is 6g (one level teaspoon) but it is very easy to go over this as around three quarters of the salt we consume comes from packaged and everyday food we buy, such as bread, cereals, meat products and ready meals.
Reducing Salt Intake
Here are some tips to reduce your salt intake:
- Read food labels: Look for low-sodium or no-salt-added options.
- Cook at home: This gives you control over the amount of salt added to your food. Restaurant food is usually high in salt as chefs tend to use liberally. If using stock cubes (eg. Oxo) then you can generally skip additional salt completely.
- Leave the Salt cellar off your dinner table. Just keep the pepper
- Use herbs and spices: These can add flavour to your food without adding salt. Try garlic, chilli, black pepper or lemon juice instead of salt.
- Choose fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables: These are naturally low in sodium.
- Buy tinned vegetables, tuna, pulses etc in water rather than brine.
- Limit processed foods: Processed foods are often high in salt.
By making conscious choices about your salt intake, you can significantly reduce your risk of high blood pressure and other health problems.
Steve Sears, Personal Trainer
