Sodium is essential for health, but in excessive doses it has negative effects that can affect various organs. Let’s find out which ones.

Sodium intake in the daily diet should be limited to the quantities indicated by the WHO : 2 grams per day (contained in 5 grams of normal table salt) which should include both the added salt and that already present in food. Sodium is responsible for proper homeostasis and optimal fluid balance , but if consumed in excess it has negative health effects that can affect various organs .

Not just hypertension: which organs are at risk

According to the National Research Institute for Food and Nutrition (INRAN)

“Every day the Italian adult consumes on average about 10 g of salt (corresponding to about 4 g of sodium), a value almost ten times higher than the physiologically necessary one.”

Excess sodium can cause hypertension, but it is not the only problem associated with the abuse of this substance. In fact, sodium can negatively affect various organs, called target organs .

• ARTERIES: A diet that is too high in sodium can increase arterial stiffness . Loss of elasticity in blood vessels makes oxygen transport to tissues less efficient, putting you at risk of developing heart disease, stroke and ischemia.
• HEART: A study showed that dietary sodium affects the thickening of the left ventricular wall. Limiting sodium intake helps reduce left ventricular hypertrophy and prevent the onset of heart failure, arrhythmias and other serious heart problems.
• KIDNEYS: Excessive sodium intake also appears to affect the kidneys , reducing their function and increasing the risk of developing chronic kidney disease.
• BRAIN: if you constantly exceed with sodium, even a fundamental organ such as the brain is at risk : the cause is to be found in the sensitization of sympathetic neurons and the increase in the sympathetic response to a whole series of stimuli that can also damage others organs.

Protect organs by reducing dietary sodium

Reducing your sodium intake is an important step in improving your overall health. For this reason IDEALE has developed an entire range of products that allow you to season dishes by significantly reducing the sodium intake compared to the use of normal table salt.