Sodium
Na — Element #11
also known as Sodium chloride, Table salt, Sodium bicarbonate, Sodium citrate
An essential mineral the body uses to regulate fluid balance, blood pressure, nerve signaling, and muscle contraction. Sodium isn't bad — it's necessary. The modern problem isn't sodium itself, it's where most of it comes from: processed and restaurant food, where the body's needs and the food industry's defaults don't match. Salting your own cooking is rarely the issue.
Role in the body Primary extracellular cation; maintains osmotic balance, blood volume, and membrane potential for nerve and muscle function
Recommended daily intake
- Adults Adequate Intake · 1,500 mg
- Adults Chronic Disease Reduction Target · 2,300 mg
- Typical Us Intake · 3,400+ mg (well above target)
Upper intake limit
No formal upper limit; chronic disease reduction target is 2,300 mg/day for adults
Signs of deficiency
- Rare from inadequate diet alone
- Headache, nausea, confusion
- Muscle cramps and weakness
- Most often caused by medications (diuretics), excessive sweating without replacement, or overhydration
- Essential for nerve signal transmission
- Required for muscle contraction, including the heart
- Regulates fluid balance inside and outside cells
- Works in partnership with potassium — the two minerals balance each other
- Critical during exercise, hot weather, or illness with fluid loss
Active in Na⁺ ion.
Most people in modern Western diets consume too much sodium — but about 70% comes from processed and restaurant food, not the salt shaker
Excess sodium contributes to high blood pressure, particularly in people with salt-sensitive hypertension
Excess sodium increases risk of stroke, kidney disease, and stomach cancer
Skip very-low-sodium diets without medical supervision — sodium is genuinely necessary, and over-restriction can cause low sodium (hyponatremia)
Salt substitutes (potassium chloride) can deliver large amounts of potassium quickly — use cautiously with kidney disease or potassium-affecting medications
Endurance athletes can develop dangerously low sodium from overhydration during long events
The fix is rarely 'eat less salt' — it's usually 'eat less processed food and salt your own cooking'
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