Effects Of A High-Salt Diet On The Body: The Surprising Way Sodium Is Linked to Hunger And Thirst
It seems like you can’t drink enough water after eating a salty bag of chips, but a new study shows that a high-salt diet actually makes you less thirsty — and more hungry.
Read: Low-Sodium Diet: 4 Easy Ways To Cut Back On Salt Intake And Add Flavor To Your Food
Published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, the new research goes against the widely accepted idea that excess salt will increase drinking and urination. “In humans, a high dietary salt intake is assumed to increase fluid intake,” the study authors write in the paper. “As a result, health authorities have suggested that a salt-driven increase in soft-drink consumption could contribute to the obesity epidemic.”
To determine if this is true, scientists looked at 10 healthy men in two separate space flight simulation studies that lasted 105 and 205 days. Each of the men were given three different levels of salt intake: 12, 9 or 6 grams per day. Other nutrients were maintained. They found that a higher salt intake led to less water consumption. Additionally, the participants were also hungrier when consuming higher salt diets, reports MedicalXpress.
As the site explains, this response to salty diets could increase the likelihood of diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease.
"We have always focused on the role of salt in arterial hypertension. Our findings suggest that there is much more to know—a high salt intake may predispose to metabolic syndrome," Jens Titze, M.D., study co-author said in MedicalXpress.
The Centers for Disease Control recommends that a healthy adult consumes no more than 2,300 milligrams per day. However, many Americans consume far more than the recommendation at more than 3,400 mg per day. According to the agency, the majority of sodium is consumed through processed foods and restaurant meals. Cooking at home and including fruits and vegetables into your diet can help reduce high blood pressure and other diseases linked to sodium.
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