When we eat too much salt, this increases sodium levels in the blood. However, most of us consume much, much more than we need. Healthy membranes allow for the movement of nutrients in and out of the signals of the cell through the nervous system (for example, messages from the brain to other parts of your body).ĭietary salt is needed for these processes. Maintaining tight control of sodium levels is necessary because sodium affects the membranes of all the individual cells in your body. This involves changes in how the kidneys, heart, nervous system, and fluid-regulating hormones respond to increasing sodium levels in our body. However, we do know it's due to physiological changes that occur in the body to tightly control the body's fluid and sodium levels. The exact processes that lead to high blood pressure from eating large amounts of sodium are not fully understood. High blood pressure is also a cause of kidney disease. High blood pressure is in turn a risk factor for heart disease and stroke, a major cause of severe illness and death in Australia.

So what does sodium do in our bodies? The major concern of consuming too much sodium is the well-established link to the increased risk of high blood pressure (or hypertension). Of these two elements, it's the sodium we need to worry about. Salt is a chemical compound made of sodium and chloride, and this is the main form in which we consume it in our diet. Today, salt is still added as a preservative, but it also improves the taste of foods. Salt draws moisture out of foods, which limits bacterial growth that would otherwise spoil food and cause gastrointestinal illnesses. Salt has been used in food preservation for centuries, and idioms like 'worth your weight in salt' indicate how valuable it was for preserving food to ensure survival. PTI | Adelaide | Updated: 10-04-2022 13:01 IST | Created: 10-04-2022 12:57 IST Representative Image Image Credit: ANIĭespite most of us knowing we should cut down on salt, Australians consume on average almost twice the recommended daily maximum per day.

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