COMMENT
SALT: EATING LESS CUTS YOUR RISK OF HEART DISEASE BY 10%
Salt helps food last longer and taste better, but too much of it can be a danger to your health
W elove the taste of salt, which is fortunate because we need it.
The salt we sprinkle on our chips or scrambled eggs is sodium chloride. Both sodium and chloride are essential nutrients. We get chloride from various foods, but we mostly consume sodium in the form of salt. We need both elements for critical body functions such as the firing of nerves and muscles, and maintaining fluid balance. If your sodium levels get too low, you might suffer cramps, nausea, vomiting or dizziness, and – in extreme cases, if the deficiency goes untreated – shock, coma and even death.
But consuming too much sodium also causes problems. It can lead to fluid retention in the blood, which causes high blood pressure. That, in turn, puts stress on the blood vessels and organs, increasing the risk of stroke, blood-vessel diseases, heart attacks and kidney disease.