On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 1218

somethinglike1gramofsaltperday,a
requirementthatgoesupwithphysical
activitysincewelosebodyfluidsand
mineralsinsweat.Thankstoitspresencein
nearlyallmanufacturedfoods,theaverage
dailysaltintakeintheUnitedStatesisaround
tentimestherequirement.
Medicalscientistshavelongsuspectedthat
constantexcessivesaltintakeresultsinan
excessivevolumeofplasmabeingcontained
inourbloodvessels,andthereforecauseshigh
bloodpressure,whichdamagestheblood
vesselsandincreasestheriskofheartdisease
andstroke.However,low-saltdietshavebeen
foundtolowerhighbloodpressureonly
modestly,andonlyinsomepeople.Andlowsaltdietshavesurprisingsideeffectsoftheir
own,includingundesirableincreasesinblood
cholesterollevels.Atthistime,itappearsthat
themostbeneficialnonmedicalinfluenceson
bloodpressurearegeneraldietarybalance—
morevegetables,fruits,andseedsrichin


potassium,calcium,andotherminerals—
togetherwithphysicalexercisethatconditions
thewholecardiovascularsystem.
Effects on Kidneys, Bones, and the
Digestive System Excess sodium is absorbed
from the blood and excreted by the kidneys,
whichhelpregulatemanybodysystems.High
sodium levels thus have the potential for

having indirect effects on those systems.
There’s evidence that they can cause loss of
bone calcium and thus increase our dietary
calcium requirement, as well as worsening
chronickidneydisease.
Thoughourbodieshavewaysofdiluting
andexcretingexcessivedosesofsalt,eating
saltyfoodsexposesthesurfacesofour
digestivesystemtopotentiallycell-damaging
concentrations.ThereisevidencefromChina
andelsewhereinAsiathatdietshighinsalt
increasetheriskofseveralcancersofthe
digestivesystem.