2023-06-23 07:34:32
By Simon Flückiger/June 23, 2023/ 7 Views
Dear friend, dear friend,
The question of the day may seem a bit provocative to you.
And of course she is.
We’ve been told for years that salt is one of the biggest threats to our health(1,2).
Did you know, however, that it is more dangerous not to consume enough salt than consuming too much(3)?
Salt deficiency is dangerous
The concentration of sodium in the blood is called serum sodium(3).
Your serum sodium is considered “normal” when it is between 135 and 145 mmol/l(3).
If your blood sodium level fell below this threshold, you would be in a state of hyponatremia (3,4).
This would have serious consequences for your brain.
The latter is sensitive to changes in the level of sodium in the blood.
You risk falling into lethargy.
You would then be at risk of mental confusion and your loved ones would see signs of brain dysfunction.
The next stage is the state of stupor or even a coma.
This is why it is actually more serious to lack salt than to consume too much!
Salt is life!
Your body, fortunately, knows this.
He knows you need at least 4g of salt a day(5).
Because the sodium contained in the salt is necessary for the transmission of the nervous signals of the organism.
But it is also used for muscle contraction and kidney function.
Salt with potassium ensures the proper balance of fluids in your body. He plays on their distribution and their movements(5).
It is also the key to exchanges between the interior and exterior of the cells(5).
It is also essential for digestion. Because some enzymes depend directly on salt to be activated and thus digest carbohydrates or sugars (6,7).
Food provides you with the salt you need. It is absorbed in the digestive tract from where it will join the blood(5,6).
The kidneys eliminate excess salt(5).
And if your body senses that there is too much salt, you will be thirsty.
The water you drink will restore the proper balance.
Salt regulates blood pressure!
Your body needs salt to regulate its blood volume (5,6).
Salt affects blood pressure and increases the flexibility of your blood vessels.
However, some people are very sensitive to salt levels (7).
For them, an increase in salt consumption can cause hypertension.
But, in other patients, the phenomenon is reversed. More salt lowers their blood pressure(7)!
And for many people, a large increase in salt levels simply doesn’t affect blood pressure(7).
Too little salt increases the risk of cardiovascular disease
Two American studies, one from 2011, the other from 2016, showed that salt was not really a problem for heart health (8,9).
In the first, involving a cohort of 28,000 people, the researchers even found that those who consumed a moderate dose of salt every day had better heart health than those who took little or no salt(8).
The study compares sodium excretions in patients.
Those who eliminated between 4 and 6 g of sodium per day were least at risk to have a heart problem.
Those who eliminated more than 7 g per day had a higher risk than the 4 to 6 g group.
But the last whose elimination was 3 g per day or less, had a greatly increased risk of heart disease, hospitalization and even death.
If we relate these sodium elimination rates to the salt consumption rate, this gives approximately:
consumption of more than 15g per day (3 teaspoons) creates a moderate risk heart problem; consumption of 8 to 12 g per day (1 teaspoon and a half) does not present no risk particular ; Consumption lower 6 g per dayr (One teaspoon) represents one high heart risk.
The second study, published in The Lancetindicates that the risk of death and cardiovascular disease increases significantly when people consume less than 10 grams of salt per day(9)!
Salt consumption has been stable for half a century…
And if these studies were not enough, it remains the simple common sense.
Before refrigeration became widespread, salt was used to preserve food, especially meat(7).
Because of this, people consumed a lot of it, especially if they had access to salt.
In many societies, access to salt was, moreover, restricted(7).
But the arrival of the refrigerator in most families has reduced salt consumption.
Whether in Europe or the United States, salt consumption has been stable for years(7,10).
And yet, everywhere cardiovascular problems have increased, as well as metabolic diseases such as obesity and type II diabetes(11,12,13).
Obviously, the problem is not salt.
Beware of processed and industrial products
The salt in processed and industrial products has sometimes been accused of being responsible for the increase in the diseases of civilization (obesity, type II diabetes, cancers)(14).
But the problem is not necessarily salt.
It may come from additives, added sugars, powdered aluminum present in yeasts, etc.
It also comes from the denaturation of products. When they are too refined, the food products sold in supermarkets no longer resemble the natural products from which they come(15).
On the other hand, we were right to question these products!
If you want to reduce your salt intake or keep it at a reasonable level, the ideal is therefore to consume fruits and vegetables from your market gardener and to limit your consumption of processed products.
When you cook yourselfyou have control over the salt you put in your preparations…
The saltiest products are often pasta, pizzas, bread, aperitif biscuits, processed meats and cheeses.
What table salt do you use?
And if you want to salt your plate, you can also use a quality salt.
The less refined it is, the more your table salt contains minerals that will be useful to your body.
Do not hesitate if you like to salt your dishes to use fleur de sel, for example from Guérande or elsewhere.
There are also black salt from Hawaii or pink from the Himalayas or even Japanese salt. They are considered good for health.
But why look so far away for salt when there is so much good salt on our coasts!
And if you’re worried about taking too much, drink a little more water.
Your body will find its balance and eliminate the surplus.
And to reassure you, can you tell yourself that a life without salt is also much more risky than a life with too much salt?
It’s all about finding the right balance without losing the flavor of life!
Naturally yours,
Augustine of Livois
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