HOW MUCH SALT CAN I CONSUME PER DAY? IS SALT BAD?

Salt is not bad; excess is bad , but so is a lack of it.

Salt, or sodium chloride, is a fundamental part of our diet and our lives.

The word salary derives from salt, since in ancient times salt was a method of payment, because it was used as a food preservative (salting) and was a very precious commodity.

The WHO recommends 5 grams of salt per individual per day to avoid problems associated with high consumption, such as hypertension and atherosclerosis.

1 gram of salt contains 0.4 grams of sodium , an important element in the body's water balance along with potassium ; the requirements of a healthy adult vary from 2g to 2.5g of sodium per day under normal conditions.

Sodium is also essential for:

• Proper functioning of the nervous system
• For muscle contraction
• For the absorption of nutrients.

Excessive sodium increases cause water to migrate from the intracellular to the extracellular space, creating more fluid volume in the vascular system and increasing blood pressure .

It is also believed that excess sodium increases the secretion of hormones that stimulate vasoconstriction.

The big problem with salt lies in the high consumption of processed products , which contain salt among their ingredients, which we ingest without realizing it, because it adds palatability and because of its power as a preservative. Another factor is the potassium deficiency in our diet, which gives us an imbalance between sodium and potassium .

While excessive consumption is harmful, so is deficiency; requirements vary depending on age, climate, and physical activity.

For example, it is estimated that an athlete should provide 0.5 grams of sodium per hour of physical activity, or that, in situations of humidity or heat, the sodium intake should be increased.

Sodium deficiency leads to hyponatremia ; if there is a sodium deficit in the extracellular space, water flows into the cell, causing it to burst. If not corrected, it can be fatal . This usually occurs in people with severe dehydration who hydrate only with water and do not provide electrolytes.