Sodium sources, health benefits and uses

You need sodium supplements if you sweat profusely, suddenly had a sunstroke, or suffer from adrenal insufficiency. As sodium is regularly removed from the body via urination, there is no risk of getting overdosed from this nutrient.

If you don’t supply your body with proper amounts of sodium, you may experience a couple of uncomfortable symptoms that can range from troublesome to lethal, such as your brain shutting down. Generally, the symptoms of sodium deficiency are as follows: confusion, diarrhea, dizziness, headache, lethargy, low blood pressure, mental apathy, muscular irritability, vomiting, weakness, and weight loss.

Some of the best food sources of sodium include apples, cabbage, bananas, carrots, baking powder, baking soda, salty meats, snacks, sauce, common salt, dried peas, egg yolks, green leafy vegetables, homemade soup, pickles, processed cheese, smoked fish, and turnips.

Medicinal uses for sodium

Sodium plays a major role in enzyme operations and muscle contraction. It plays a pivotal function in osmoregulation, which is the maintenance of constant osmotic pressure in the fluids of an organism by regulating water and salt concentrations within the human body.

Sodium is good for the skin. It is an important ingredient in many anti-aging creams. Due to its antioxidant properties, it can fight against harmful free radicals that contribute to a rapid aging process, thereby providing you with youthful, glowing, and radiant skin.

Sodium improves glucose absorption, leading to the optimum transportation of nutrients in the body’s cell membranes.

Body systems supported by sodium

Sodium is good for the excretory system. It can be used in combination with docetaxel, a chemotherapy medication, to treat advanced urothelial carcinoma. It also controls the proportions of acid-base alkali phosphates in the body, thereby managing the reactions of the kidneys and the frequency and content of urination.

S0dium is good for the respiratory system. It can be used as a treatment for non-small cell lung cancer, which accounts for 85 percent of all lung cancers and is usually non-responsive to chemotherapy.

Sodium is good for the female reproductive system. It is said to serve as treatment for ovarian cancer.

Sodium is good for the cardiovascular system. It boosts heart performance by allowing it resistance against stresses and obstructions that may cause too much pressure on the heart.

Sodium is good for the muscular system. Ingesting it can relieve muscle cramps that usually occur during the hot summer months due to dehydration and electrolyte imbalance.

Sodium is good for the nervous system.

Where to learn more

• Blaming dietary sodium for high blood pressure is too simplistic; the real problem may be mineral deficiencies
• Sodium Intake Far Too High for Americans (press release)
• Sodium, Calories and Fats in Pizza Damaging to Health of American Children
• Restricting your sodium intake does NOT reduce your blood pressure, researchers find
• Diets High in Sodium May Lead to Disease and Death
• Truth about high sodium intake and health

Summary

Sodium is good for the respiratory, female reproductive, cardiovascular, muscular, and nervous systems.

Sodium plays a major role in enzyme operations and muscle contraction.

Sodium is good for the skin.

Sources include:

PubChem.NCBI.NLM.NIH.gov

OrganicFacts.net