On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 1218

something like 1 gram of salt per day, a requirement that goes up with physical activity since we lose body fluids and minerals in sweat Thanks to its presence in nearly all manufactured foods, the average daily salt intake in the United States is around ten times the requirement Medical scientists have long suspected that constant excessive salt intake results in an excessive volume of plasma being contained in our blood vessels, and therefore causes high blood pressure, which damages the blood vessels and increases the risk of heart disease and stroke However, low-salt diets have been found to lower high blood pressure only modestly, and only in some people And lowsalt diets have surprising side effects of their own, including undesirable increases in blood cholesterol levels At this time, it appears that the most beneficial nonmedical influences on blood pressure are general dietary balance — more vegetables, fruits, and seeds rich in potassium, calcium, and other minerals — together with physical exercise that conditions the whole cardiovascular system Effects on Kidneys, Bones, and the Digestive System Excess sodium is absorbed from the blood and excreted by the kidneys, which help regulate many body systems High sodium levels thus have the potential for having indirect effects on those systems There’s evidence that they can cause loss of bone calcium and thus increase our dietary calcium requirement, as well as worsening chronic kidney disease Though our bodies have ways of diluting and excreting excessive doses of salt, eating salty foods exposes the surfaces of our digestive system to potentially cell-damaging concentrations There is evidence from China and elsewhere in Asia that diets high in salt increase the risk of several cancers of the digestive system  ...potassium, calcium, and other minerals — together with physical exercise that conditions the whole cardiovascular system Effects on Kidneys, Bones, and the Digestive System Excess sodium is absorbed from the. .. salty foods exposes the surfaces of our digestive system to potentially cell-damaging concentrations There is evidence from China and elsewhere in Asia that diets high in salt increase the risk of several cancers of the. .. loss of bone calcium and thus increase our dietary calcium requirement, as well as worsening chronic kidney disease Though our bodies have ways of diluting and excreting excessive doses of salt, eating