Reducing sodium in your diet can improve your health—but it can also have some unexpected consequences that you might not realize.
Blood pressure will be lower
Sodium is an important element that helps regulate fluid levels in the body.
There are people who don't get enough salt. But the vast majority of people actually consume far more salt than they need.
A negative effect that comes from consuming too much salt is high blood pressure.
Scientific studies have linked sodium consumption to hypertension, says Amin Yehia, a cardiologist at the Piedmont Heart Institute. Too much sodium causes the body to "hold on" to water, which increases blood volume and puts pressure on the circulatory system.
In such a situation, a person should eat foods that help lower high blood pressure.
Risk of heart attack and stroke
Lowering blood pressure by reducing sodium intake may reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke.
Worldwide, 54 percent of strokes and 47 percent of heart disease are attributed to hypertension. Excess sodium affects the human body by promoting left ventricular hypertrophy and fibrosis (thickening and scarring) in the heart and arteries.
Water loss
The kidneys are programmed to maintain electrolyte balance, including sodium, says registered dietitian Erin Palinski-Wade.
When a person consumes too much sodium, this ratio is disrupted, so the kidneys begin to retain more water in order to balance it.
When a person reduces sodium intake, this balance shifts and the kidneys no longer retain excess fluid in the body.
You can lose real weight
Reducing sodium levels will make a person more likely to eat healthy foods.
This is because most of the salt in the diet doesn't come from table salt—it comes from processed and prepared foods that use sodium as a preservative; they also contain many other unhealthy ingredients.
If a person begins to change their diet to include more whole, unprocessed foods, this will naturally help them reduce their sodium intake.
Additionally, it can help reduce your intake of added sugars and refined carbohydrates while increasing your fiber. This shift can help reduce calories, which can lead to weight loss.
The risk of developing stomach cancer will decrease
High sodium intake has been linked to stomach cancer. Although studies support this, the exact reason for the link is unknown.
If a person wants to avoid stomach cancer, he should consume less salt.
Earlier we told you which 8 foods the pancreas loves.
