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sodium

SODIUM SALT INTAKE ADVERSELY EFFECTS KIDNEY’S EXCRETION OF ALBUMIN – (10-04-04)

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Sodium intake affects urinary albumin excretion especially in overweight subjects

I have to admit, that I have usually told patients that sodium intake is really not as important as most believe it is (with the exception of processed foods–which are generally higher in sodium). There seems to be only a small percentage of the population that is salt sensitive. The rest don’t experience much effect from salt intake.

However, this article suggest an alternative opinion, that salt intake in overweight patients adversely effects the kidney’s excretion of albumin. Remember that the kidney should not lose any proteins–protein in the urine can be a sign of renal problems. Microalbuminuria has shown to be related to the degree of insulin resistance. So, might the salt in this study be affecting insulin resistance in a negative way somehow?

Sodium intake affects urinary albumin excretion especially in overweight subjects – Journal of Internal Medicine, Vol 256, Issue 4, Pages 324-330, October 2004 –

read entire article here

INTERACTIONS BETWEEN OXIDATIVE STRESS AND INFLAMMATION IN SALT-SENSITIVE HYPERTENSION -(08-04-08)

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Interactions between oxidative stress and inflammation in salt-sensitive hypertension.

While this was a rat study, it does raise the question of whether salt, by itself, is truly an issue at all with hypertension. And given that reducing salt intake does not produce much bang for the buck anyway, it is surprising how much we hang our “hat” on this recommendation. Truly, high sodium intake is likely to be a marker for intake of processed foods. More processed foods will have little or no redox potential.

This correlates strongly with the findings in this study, suggesting that antioxidants attenuate the kidney damage that occurs from high salt intake.

Read entire article here

LOW SALT DIETS CONTRIBUTE TO DIABETES?

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With research, we need to take everything with a grain of salt (so to speak…) and look at the big picture.  I have personally never been an advocate of steering patients towards a low salt diet.  As I’ve mentioned in prior posts, “low salt” is the low hanging fruit of lifestyle changes.  Very easy to change and no industry gets harmed too bad financially..it’s pretty easy to come out with a “low sodium” version of whatever crappy product was originally produced.

I personally think salt has been used as a surrogate for poor dietary choices.  Many unhealthy, processed foods are very high in sodium.  And, much like coffee use in the past, it was given a bad rap not because of its negative health effects, but rather by the behaviors associated with it.

Overall, a very small percentage of the population is salt sensitive.  Maybe 5%.  In these patients, lowering salt intake may bring down blood pressure a little.  Certainly not nearly as much as avoiding refined carbs and exercising.  But there is at least no harm in a low salt diet, right?

Not according to this study, which found an increase in insulin resistance (a very, very bad thing) in those consuming a low salt diet for 7 days.  What does this mean?  At the very least, it suggests that merely demonizing a single aspect of a dietary pattern (in this case salt), will never likely produce the intended outcome of the condition you were trying to impact.  In this case blood pressure.

The bottom line is that by consuming a diet as unprocessed as possible and using a wide variety of herbs and spices in your foods and using Celtic sea salt if you feel the need to salt your foods will have only positive effects on your long term health.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002604951000329X