Salt poison or antidote

Salt is made up of around 40% sodium and 60% chloride. It’s commonly used to add flavor to foods or preserve them. Sodium is a mineral essential for optimal muscle and nerve function. Together with chloride, it also helps your body maintain proper water and mineral balance Yet, despite its essential functions, ingesting too much salt can have unpleasant effects, both in the short and long term. This article discusses what happens in your body if you eat too much salt in a single meal or day and compares this to the long-term effects of a salt-rich diet. Eating too much salt at once, either in a single meal or over a day, can have a few short-term consequences. Water retention First, you may notice that you feel more bloated or puffy than usual. This happens because your kidneys wish to maintain a specific sodium-to-water ratio in your body. To do so, they hold on to extra water to compensate for the extra sodium you ate. This increased water retention may result in swelling, especially in the hands and feet, and can cause you to weigh more than usual Rise in blood pressure A salt-rich meal can also cause a larger blood volume to flow through your blood vessels and arteries. This may result in a temporary rise in blood pressure . That said, not everyone may experience these effects. For instance, research suggests that people who are salt resistant may not experience a rise in blood pressure after salt-rich meals A person’s sensitivity to salt is thought to be influenced by factors like genetics and hormones. Aging and obesity may also amplify the blood pressure-raising effects of high salt diets These variables may explain why salt-rich diets don’t automatically result in a rise in blood pressure for everyone. Intense thirst Eating a salty meal can also cause you to have a dry mouth or feel very thirsty. Encouraging you to drink is another way in which your body tries to correct the sodium-to-water ratio The resulting increase in fluid intake can cause you to urinate more than usual. On the other hand, failing to consume fluids after eating high amounts of salt may cause your body’s sodium levels to rise above a safe level, resulting in a condition known as hypernatremia Hypernatremia can cause water to leach out of your cells and into your blood, in an attempt to dilute the excess sodium. If left untreated, this fluid shift can result in confusion, seizures, coma, and even death Other symptoms of hypernatremia include restlessness, breathing and sleeping difficulties, and decreased urination .