Excess salt consumption can lead to numerous health problems. Many people add too much salt to meals and drinks, saying that their taste buds are accustomed to salty foods. Although this situation pleases people in terms of taste, it brings great risks in terms of health. Controlling salt consumption and avoiding excessive salt consumption contributes significantly to the general health status of the person.
How Much Should You Consume Daily Salt?
The salt we use daily is a substance that contains 40% sodium and 60% chlorine. When evaluating salt consumption, especially sodium in salt is taken as a basis. A small amount of sodium is needed in the body for issues such as nerve conduction, muscle contraction and relaxation, water and electrolyte balance. In case of taking more sodium than the body needs, some undesirable situations may occur. For this reason, the amount of salt that should be consumed daily is calculated by taking into account the salt requirement of the body and the filtering capacity of the kidneys for excess sodium.
The maximum amount of salt that can be consumed daily for adults is 6 grams. 6 grams of salt equals about 1 teaspoon. There is approximately 2.4 grams of sodium in 6 grams of salt. It will be useful to look at the sodium value in the nutritional values section and to keep the daily sodium consumption under control while shopping for food in the market. Between the ages of 7-10, daily salt consumption should be at most 5 grams. The maximum amount of salt that can be consumed daily for 11 years and older is 6 grams, as in adults.
Daily salt consumption should not exceed 1 gram in infants under the age of 1, since kidney development is not yet at a sufficient level. Salt should not be added to soups, yoghurts and purees prepared for children who start complementary foods. In addition, children in this age group should be kept away from processed foods due to their high salt content. Mineral needs of babies fed with breast milk or formula are met through milk or formula.
To keep daily salt consumption under control, it is necessary to avoid eating very salty food. Foods containing high amounts of salt can be listed as follows:
- Cheese
- Pickles
- Past� Şırma, sausage
- Meat/chicken stock bouillon
- Olives
- Ayran
- Salt nuts
- Anchovy and similar fish with high salt content
- Bread
- Sauces
- Crackers, chips
- Deli and delicatessen products such as salami and sausage
- Pizza
- Canned soups, dishes
- Pasta sauces
- Breakfast cereals
- Ketchup, mayonnaise and other sauces
- Fast food products such as burgers and french fries
Consuming too much salt is a situation that people of all ages should avoid. Especially in children and young people, awareness of salt consumption is less. However, it is necessary to explain to young people that they should not consume too much salt in the early stages of life and to adopt this idea. In this way, young people can be protected from health problems caused by excessive salt consumption.
What are the Harms of Excess Salt Consumption?
The harms of excess salt can be examined under two headings as early and late periods. Early effects are usually more easily reversible. However, dealing with the long-term effects can be more challenging.
When a large amount of salt is consumed during the day or in a meal, a person may feel bloated. This is because the kidneys are trying to regulate the water and salt balance in the body. In order to balance the salt taken from the outside, the body starts to hold water. As a result, the person may experience swelling, swelling in the hands and feet.
One of the early effects of excessive salt consumption is blood pressure� It is a rise in blood pressure. Since water retention in the body will increase after a meal with salty foods, there is an increase in the volume of blood circulating in the veins. This leads to a rise in blood pressure. However, researchers noticed that not everyone's blood pressure increase was the same after a salty meal.
While there is no change in blood pressure in some people, a serious increase can be observed in some people. The response of the person to the increase in salt in the body is affected by genetic and hormonal factors. It has been determined that the increase in blood pressure after salt consumption is more pronounced in people with obesity problems or in the advanced age group.
Another early effect of excess salt consumption is thirst. After a salty meal, the person's thirst center is stimulated in order to balance the salt taken into the body. With the consumption of water and similar liquids, the water and salt balance in the body is tried to be restored. Situations such as not stimulating the thirst center properly, especially in elderly people, and limited fluid intake lead to an increase in sodium in the blood.
This condition, called hypernatremia, is quite serious. Early detected and untreated hyponatremia; it can lead to the development of consequences such as confusion, seizures, coma and even death.
The most well-known long-term effect of excess salt consumption is raising blood pressure. The rise in blood pressure, which is one of the short-term effects of excessive salt consumption, may become permanent if the same behavior is repeated. In this case, people may have hypertension.
Hypertension can lead to the development of symptoms such as heart rhythm disturbance, headache, visual impairment, nosebleeds, dizziness, and excessive sweating in people. If proper treatment is not performed and blood pressure is not controlled, serious health problems may occur in people with hypertension. These people have an increased risk of many different problems such as cardiovascular diseases, kidney disorders, and stroke. For this reason, it would be beneficial to limit salt consumption in order to prevent blood pressure disease. In addition, when people who already have high blood pressure reduce their daily salt consumption, there is a serious decrease in blood pressure. Therefore, blood pressure Patients can contribute to their treatment by keeping salt consumption under control as well as the medications prescribed by the doctor.
There are also studies showing that excessive salt consumption increases the risk of stomach cancer. Although the mechanism underlying this situation has not yet been fully elucidated, it has been observed that salty eating habits cause damage to the layer that protects the stomach, and as a result, it increases the risk of inflammation and ulcer formation in the stomach.
What are the Symptoms of Excess Salt Consumption?
People are often unaware that they are consuming too much salt. Excess salt consumption is an issue that is usually noticed when hypertension is diagnosed. However, some symptoms may indicate that the person is consuming high amounts of salt. These symptoms are as follows:
- Constant bloating
- Recurrent headaches
- Constant thirst
- Frequent urination
- Swelling in the fingers and toes, wrists, edema
You can ask the expert team of Group Florence Nightingale Hospitals about the issues you are wondering about excessive salt consumption, and you can ask for suggestions regarding your question. You can use the contact form on our website to reach us.
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