Salt consumption

[Guest guest]

While only a small percentage are salt-sensitive enough to develop

really high blood pressure at a fairly young age as a result of salt

consumption, I thought the current thinking was that over-consumption

of salt over a long period of time was what resulted in the seemingly

inevitable increase in blood pressure as we get older. Thus, while

for a time salt seemed to have overcome it's bad image (probably with

the help of the potato chip industry), it's now back on the no-no

list.

Also, the issue of too little salt is getting too much press time.

There have recently been a few runners, and one idiotic very

overweight dieter, who have consumed enough water without electrolyte

supplements to develop hyponatremia. Like other electrolytes, if you

manage to screw up your serum levels sufficiently, the results can be

fatal. But this really is hard to do.

Iris

[Guest guest]

Thanks for this much-needed clarification on minimum sodium needs. My

understanding is that long term overuse of sodium and under-intake of

potassium (too much salt and not enough fruit and vegetables) are major

culprits in the European, American, and Oriental " inevitable " rise in bp.

I was concerned about recent reports of low sodium problems. I only

understand this in the broadest of terms, and while I can follow a

description of cellular sodium, potassium, etc pump function at that

level....it's really pushing 1948 high school chemistry. So it's easy to

become unsure of my understanding of the information at hand.

Ed S.

----- Original Message -----

From: " oc9 " <crsupport@...>

< >

Sent: Sunday, June 08, 2003 5:40 PM

Subject: [ ] Salt consumption

> While only a small percentage are salt-sensitive enough to develop

> really high blood pressure at a fairly young age as a result of salt

> consumption, I thought the current thinking was that over-consumption

> of salt over a long period of time was what resulted in the seemingly

> inevitable increase in blood pressure as we get older. Thus, while

> for a time salt seemed to have overcome it's bad image (probably with

> the help of the potato chip industry), it's now back on the no-no

> list.

>

> Also, the issue of too little salt is getting too much press time.

> There have recently been a few runners, and one idiotic very

> overweight dieter, who have consumed enough water without electrolyte

> supplements to develop hyponatremia. Like other electrolytes, if you

> manage to screw up your serum levels sufficiently, the results can be

> fatal. But this really is hard to do.

>

> Iris

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

I suppose that every person is different with regard to salt

consumption and sweating. I sweat heavily when doing physical work on

a hot day. I can exude enough fluid mowing a lawn so that I can wring

my shirt to create a pool of sweat. Three weeks ago, when helping to

put a roof on a shed on a sunny day, I was drinking at least one glass

of water per hour (and sweating as much). From experience, I added a

pinch of salt to each glass to avoid heat cramps.

I can eat a low salt diet when I work in air-conditioned comfort, but

I need salt when I sweat. It has been like this since I was young,

and it will probably will be like this until I die. I don't think

that anybody can be trained not to sweat. By the way, my BP is around

116/83 with a pulse of 59 when I get up in the morning.

Tony

--- In , " " <crjohnr@b...>

wrote:

> Thanks for the suggestion but wouldn't that defeat the purpose? I

repeat

> I am not an expert but I did stay in a Holiday Inn once. I believe

the

> mechanism I am trying to normalize is the system that manages

cellular

> water balance through modulation of the salinity of the liquid bath

> surrounding the cells (osmotic pressure and all that). Even those

obscure

> Indians needed " some " salt to live. I've looked at " ringers

solution "

> as a possible model were I inclined to tweak, but I'm not so

inclined

> and salt which makes up the bulk of it works very adequately alone.

>

> Sometimes the simple solution is the right one. Of course I could

drink

> less coffee,tea,beer eat- less fruit and vegetables, and stop

running in

> heat and humidity, but that ain't living brudda. I'll save my

> " micromanagement " for managing the microprocessor program I'm

working

> on right now. :-)

>

> JR

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Tony:

I agree. If you did not sweat in hot weather you would die. I

believe I am right in saying (IBIARIS!!!) that that is the way in

which people in the desert without water die. When they can no

longer sweat any more water, their body temperature goes TTR (through

the roof) and that kills them.

The secretion of water from the pores in hot weather has a major

cooling effect, as the latent heat of evaporation from the

evaporating water cools the remaining sweat that is still on your

skin. (This happens because it is only the very hottest molecules of

water - the fastest moving - that manage to escape to evaporation,

leaving the slower moving (cooler) ones behind). And if you are well

hydrated the sweat that evaporates is replaced by more sweat, and the

process continues.

But I am sure Tony knows this as well or better than I do.

Rodney.

> I don't think that anybody can be trained not to sweat.