• There is no specific RDA for sodium
• because almost everyone consumes too much.
• The Suggested Human Needs = 5 grams of salt,
• > 2 grams of sodium, per day.
• Real need may be only about 0.5 gram

• Osmolarity of Blood
• Hormones control concentration of blood
• Aldosterone increases salt reabsorption
• Vasopressin causes more water uptake to reduce salt concentration
• increases blood volume and pressure
• Absorption of other nutrients
• secondary active transport
• intestine and kidney
• Nerve signals
• Secondary Active Transport
• In secondary sodium is used to drive the abortion and reabsorption of many nutrients; vitamins, sugars, amino acids.

• Healthy adults should reduce their sodium intake
• No more than 2400 milligrams per day.
• About 1¼ teaspoons of sodium chloride (salt).
• 1/4 teaspoon salt = 500 mg sodium
  

• Choose fresh, frozen or canned food items
• Select unsalted nuts or seeds, dried beans, peas and lentils.
• Avoid adding salt and canned vegetables to homemade dishes.
• When dining out, be specific
• Request your dish to be prepared without salt.
• Learn to use spices and herbs to enhance the taste of your food.

Salt as a killer myth

• There is no conclusive evidence that salt effects blood pressure in normal individuals
• Other factors may be more important in relation to hypertension
• Eg. Calcium. Potassium. Magnesium non-diet
• The idea was based on special populations
• Sensitive people may be only 20% in Western population
• mainly African Americans

• Related both to the anion ingested with sodium as well as to other components of the diet.
• Not increased by sodium intake with anions other than chloride.
• Salt- induced increase of blood pressure depends on the concomitant ingestion of both sodium and chloride.
• That sodium chloride-induced blood pressure also have diets deficient in potassium and/or calcium.

• Recommend that salt avoidance not be advised for healthy individuals

Salt is a risk factor only in conjunction with other Minerals

• Refer to Salt Institute
• Electrolytes–potassium, calcium and magnesium.
• Balance of these interacting electrolytes

• More important than the amount of any one of them,
• Including sodium.

• If we could lower the U.S. population's average blood pressure by just 2 mm/Hg,
• we could decrease the risk of fatal heart attacks by 4%
• (19,417 lives saved).
• We could cut stoke deaths in middle age by 6%
• (8,608 lives saved).
• Thus, we could extend useful lives and save millions if not billions of $$$

Ratio of potassium to sodium in your diet.

• This ratio can be imbalance by excessive consumption of sodium,
• The ideal potassium to sodium ratio is 5:1,
• Most Australians have a ratio of 1:2,
• They consume twice as much sodium as they do potassium.

• Iodine (120mgm)
• Needed by the thyroid to make thyroxine hormone

• Too little causes goitre (enlarged thyroid gland)

Inability to produce thyroxine means many tissues do not develop

• Iodine deficiency (IDD) is the single most common cause of preventable mental retardation and brain damage in the world.

• 1.6 billion people are at risk.
• IDD affects 50 million children.
• 100,000 cretins are born every year.