There is now a lot of evidence which shows that excessive salt can damage health. Sodium is needed by the body in order to survive and salt is a common way to get this mineral; salt is made up primarily of sodium. Although the body does require sodium in small amounts it is also true to say that too much salt can cause problems.
How Excessive Salt can Damage Health
Using excessive salt can damage health in a number of ways. A certain amount of sodium is required for cell functioning, but more than this can soon begin to impact the body. The problems most often associated with too much salt are hypertension, kidney disease, stomach cancer, and osteoporosis.
- The biggest risk associated with excessive salt is hypertension. The reason for this is that too much sodium in the system causes the body to hold onto water. If there is a lot of water in the body this leads to a build up of pressure, similar to what would happen if too much water is pushed through a hose pipe. When blood pressure is high it means that the heart has to work harder and it also causes a lot of wear and tear.
- High blood pressure due to excessive salt can not only damage the heart but it can also have an impact on other organs like the kidneys. This is due to the damage that high blood pressure has on blood vessels. If the blood vessels in the kidneys are damaged then this organ will not be able to function correctly.
- Excessive salt has been linked with an increased risk of stomach cancer. This is believed to be due to the fact that salt can change the pH of the stomach and intestine making it more habitable for certain bacteria and less habitable for other bacteria.
- Too much salt has also been linked with osteoporosis. This is also connected to the fact that excessive sodium causes high blood pressure. This high pressure is blamed for speeding up the body’s loss of calcium; which causes osteoporosis.
These are just some of the more well known dangers associated with excessive salt.
How Much is Too Much Salt?
NHS Choices in the UK recommends that a safe amount of sodium is 2.5g; this is about six grams of salt. Many different types of food already contain salt. Processed food in particular has been shown to contain a lot of salt. In western countries people tend to use a lot more salt than what is recommended and this could be the cause of many health problems.
Sources:
NKUDIC article, High Blood Pressure and Kidney Disease (accessed 6th June 2010)
BBC News article, Salt Linked to Osteoporosis (accessed 6th June 2010)
Cancer Active article - Stomach gastric Cancer - symptoms, treatments and therapies (accesssed June 2010)
Paul Garrigan - I'm a full-time freelance writer. I originally come from Ireland, but spent my twenties in England and now live in Thailand; As well as ...
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