How Should Healthy Salt Consumption Be Managed?

Liv Hospital Nephrology Specialist Prof. Dr. Tevfik Ecder: "Daily salt intake is very high both in our country and in many countries around the world. Low-salt nutrition is of great importance for public health. This awareness should begin from childhood. Combating salt consumption should be one of our fundamental goals in protecting public health." explained the effects of salt on human health.

Sodium and water balance are important

When "salt" or "table salt" is mentioned, sodium chloride is understood. Sodium is one of the fundamental substances in the lives of all living organisms. The continuation of life is possible through the presence of adequate and balanced amounts of sodium and water in the body. In this respect, sodium is a substance of vital importance. However, to meet the daily sodium needs of a healthy person, additional salt intake is not necessary.

Daily sodium needs can be easily met through foods

Adding varying amounts of salt to food is not a result of necessity, but solely for taste preference. However, numerous scientific studies have shown that salt added to foods and beverages has negative effects on human health. • The adverse effects of excessive salt intake are known in people with high blood pressure, diabetics, those with heart failure, and patients with chronic kidney failure. • Many studies have reported that excessive salt consumption also has negative effects on the cardiovascular system in healthy individuals. Research has shown that keeping daily salt intake below 6 grams is of great importance in protecting against cardiovascular diseases. Daily salt intake is very high both in our country and in many countries around the world. Low-salt nutrition is of great importance for public health. This awareness should begin from childhood. Combating salt consumption should be one of our fundamental goals in protecting public health.

How should healthy salt consumption be?

Even if we do not add any salt to foods, it is possible to obtain the salt (sodium) we need daily from normal foods. For this reason, we do not need to use additional salt. Without adding any salt to foods and without consuming salt-rich foods (pickled products, canned items, processed meat products, etc.), it is only possible to stay below 6 grams per day. For this reason, the goal should be to stay away from salt and salty foods as much as possible. Although the transition from high-salt to low-salt nutrition may cause taste preference issues in the first weeks, most people adjust to a salt-free diet within 4-6 weeks.

Can a salt-free diet have harmful effects on human health?

In some patients on a salt-free diet, a decrease in blood salt concentration (hyponatremia) is observed. This is more often due to the concurrent use of certain diuretics and excessive fluid intake rather than low-salt nutrition itself. In healthy individuals, low-salt nutrition is not expected to cause a decrease in blood salt levels or other problems.

What should be considered to reduce salt consumption?

Apart from salt added at the table during meals, many products we eat contain excessive salt. Even if we do not add salt to meals, there is a risk of consuming much more than our daily needs from these products. We should try to increase awareness in society on this issue and make it a habit to check the salt content of the products we purchase.

Is there a difference between salt varieties in terms of health impact?

As a result of refining salt obtained from various salt sources in nature, elements other than sodium chloride are removed and sodium chloride is obtained. On the other hand, in recent years, we increasingly encounter various salt products under the name of "natural salt" (rock salt, Himalayan salt, sea salt, ocean salt, etc.). Since these products are marketed in their unrefined form obtained directly from nature, they may contain many other elements. However, since a large portion of their content is still sodium chloride, they carry similar disadvantages of sodium intake as refined salts do. It is incorrect to think that these salts are "beneficial" due to the presence of other minerals in them. Because these minerals are already obtained at sufficient levels from other foods. Consuming these salts for the purpose of obtaining these minerals will also bring the disadvantages of sodium intake.

It should be known that not all natural salt products are safe!

Some important scientific studies have shown that certain natural salt products contain elements that could be toxic to the body, such as copper, lead, nickel, mercury, arsenic, and uranium. Additionally, plastic materials that have entered the environment have been detected in some sea salt and ocean salt products. For this reason, it should be known that not all natural salt products are safe.

Beware of artificial salts!

For those who have difficulty following a salt-free diet, salts with reduced sodium content and enhanced with potassium under the name of "artificial salt" are also available on the market. The use of these salts can have serious disadvantages in diseases such as chronic kidney failure where potassium restriction is necessary. Each patient should consult with their physician on this matter. Additionally, since these salts have less "salt taste," there is a risk of excessive consumption to achieve the same level of taste.

Does it matter whether salt is consumed with or without iodine?

The use of iodized salt is beneficial in protecting against iodine deficiency. However, there are some thyroid diseases where the use of iodized salt may be disadvantageous. For this reason, the idea that everyone must necessarily use iodized salt is not correct. Thyroid patients should consult with their physicians about what they should do in this regard.