Does Table Salt Increase Your Blood Sodium Levels?

Yes, table salt, which is primarily sodium chloride (NaCl), does increase your blood sodium levels. When you consume table salt, the sodium is absorbed into your bloodstream, leading to elevated sodium levels.

Sodium and Its Importance

Sodium plays a crucial role in various bodily functions, including regulating blood pressure, maintaining fluid balance, and enabling proper nerve and muscle function. However, excessive sodium intake can lead to serious health issues such as hypertension (high blood pressure) and other cardiovascular problems.

Monitoring Sodium Intake

It is important to monitor your sodium intake, especially if you have specific health conditions. The general recommendation is to limit sodium intake to less than 2300 milligrams (mg) per day. Individuals with certain health concerns may need to aim for even lower levels.

Understanding Blood Sodium Levels

Since regular table salt is sodium chloride, eating it will increase the amount of sodium in your body. Approximately 40% of regular table salt is sodium. Blood tests do not directly measure the amount of salt in your system, but they can show your sodium levels.

Normal vs. Abnormal Results

When your doctor orders a blood sodium test, they are looking for optimal levels between 135 to 145 milliequivalents per liter (mEq/L). If your blood test shows a sodium level outside this range, a condition known as hypernatremia, it can be dangerous to your health. However, different labs may have slightly different measurements, so it's important to discuss your results with your physician.

Why High Sodium is Dangerous

Having high sodium in your body disrupts your fluid balance because sodium naturally draws water into your system. Elevated sodium can cause you to retain extra water, leading to a puffy feeling in your hands, feet, and waist. This extra water also means that your heart has to work harder to circulate blood, thus elevating your blood pressure. High blood pressure can cause damage to your arteries, heart, kidneys, and eyes. Additionally, it increases your risk of stroke.

Elevated Sodium Causes

Many factors can lead to high sodium levels, including:

Routine medications, such as birth control pills, over-the-counter pain relievers, diuretics, laxatives, and corticosteroids. Diabetes. Hormonal imbalances. Excessive sweating or diarrhea, leading to fluid loss.

Since high sodium has multiple causes, your doctor may need to run follow-up tests to determine the root cause.

Dietary Points

Your sodium could be high because you tend to salt everything on your plate and eat a lot of salty foods. Typically, you can have up to 2300 mg of sodium per day according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010. Once your doctor tells you that you have too much sodium in your blood, you may need to limit yourself to just 1500 mg daily. This is equivalent to a little over half a teaspoon of salt each day.