Salt is one of the essential nutrients needed by the human body, but consuming too much can have negative health effects. Excessive salt intake can lead to an increased risk of diseases such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, stroke, etc.
Therefore, maintaining a proper salt intake is very important for good health. For the average adult, the daily salt intake should be controlled to less than 6 grams. However, modern eating habits often lead to excessive salt intake, so special attention needs to be paid to controlling salt in the diet.
In addition to controlling salt intake, you should also pay attention to the "** salt" in food. Some foods, although not salty in taste, actually contain high levels of salt, such as processed foods such as bread, biscuits, noodles, etc. Therefore, when buying food, you should carefully check the nutrition facts list on the food label and choose low-salt foods.
A high-salt diet, an unhealthy lifestyle, is inextricably linked to health problems such as high blood pressure and obesity. A recent study based on 501379 participants at UK Biobank revealed the dangers of a high-salt diet. A total of 18,474 premature deaths were recorded in these participants, aged 40-69 years, by means of questionnaires, during an average follow-up period of 9 years. The results of the study showed that the more often salt is added to food, the higher the risk of premature death and the shorter the life expectancy. Shockingly, regarding the relationship between salt frequency and life expectancy, the data shows:
At age 50, men with a salty taste had a 1 less life expectancy than those who consumed less saltAt the age of 5, women will be reduced by 228 years old. This showed that participants on a high-salt diet had a 28% increased risk of premature death.
First, excessive salt intake can lead to high blood pressure. A high-salt diet can increase the concentration of sodium ions in the blood, which can cause water retention and increased pressure on the walls of blood vessels, eventually leading to high blood pressure. Long-term high blood pressure can damage multiple organs such as the heart, kidneys, and brain, increasing the risk of heart disease, stroke, and other diseases.
Secondly, excessive salt intake may also trigger osteoporosis. The sodium ions in salt can interfere with the body's absorption and utilization of calcium ions, accelerate the loss of calcium, reduce bone density, and increase the risk of fractures.
In addition, excessive salt intake may also lead to digestive diseases such as stomach cancer and esophageal cancer. A high-salt diet stimulates gastric acid secretion, destroys the gastric mucosal barrier, and increases the risk of gastric mucosal damage and cancer.
In addition, excessive salt intake can also lead to water retention in the body, leading to problems such as edema and obesity. A high-salt diet will increase the burden on the kidneys, affect the normal water metabolism of the body, and make water retained in the body, causing edema and obesity.
To sum up, excessive salt intake can cause harm to the body in many ways. In order to stay healthy, we should control our salt intake and try to choose a low-salt diet. At the same time, for people with diseases such as high blood pressure, salt intake should be strictly restricted, and the doctor's advice should be followed** and managed. Through a scientific and reasonable diet, we can reduce salt intake, improve quality of life, and maintain a healthy and long life.
Puffy fingers – Puffy fingers are a telltale sign that the body is consuming too much salt. Too much salt can trap water in the body, which can lead to swollen fingers.
Increased blood pressure – A high-salt diet is a significant trigger for high blood pressure. If you notice that your blood pressure is elevated, then reducing your salt intake is a necessary measure.
Frequent thirst – Eating excessively salty foods can lead to thirst because the body needs more water to balance the salt. If you feel thirsty on a regular basis, that could be a sign of too much salt intake.
Headaches – Excessive salt intake may cause headaches because too much salt causes the body to produce more adrenaline, a hormone that can cause headaches.
Upset stomach – Excessive salt intake may cause stomach upset, including symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. This is because salt increases the concentration of gastric juice, which can cause irritation to the stomach.
If you find yourself having one or more of the above symptoms, then you should consider reducing your salt intake. Salt intake can be reduced by reducing the consumption of high-salt foods, using low-sodium salts, and reducing the intake of preserved foods.
In our daily life, salt is an indispensable condiment, but different groups of people have different needs and precautions for salt intake. Especially for some specific groups of people, the intake of low-sodium salt needs to be more cautious.
First of all, we need to understand the characteristics of low sodium salts. Low sodium salt has a lower sodium content compared to regular table salt, which gives it certain advantages in reducing the risk of high blood pressure, among other things. However, the potassium content in low-sodium salts is relatively high, and for some people, excessive potassium intake may have negative effects on physical health.
For older people, their kidney function is often weak, and it is difficult to effectively eliminate excess potassium, so older people should be cautious about consuming low-sodium salts. In addition, people with chronic kidney disease also need to pay special attention to low sodium intake, as excessive potassium intake may increase the burden on the kidneys.
In addition, people who are taking certain medications should also be cautious about low sodium intake. For example, in people who are taking antihypertensive drugs such as ACE inhibitors, ingestion of low-sodium salts may cause *** or affect the effectiveness of the drug. Therefore, it is best to consult a doctor before consuming low-sodium salt.
In summary, although low-sodium salt has advantages such as reducing the risk of hypertension, for some specific populations, low-sodium salt intake still needs to be cautious. When choosing table salt, you should make a wise choice based on your physical condition and the advice of your doctor. At the same time, we should also pay attention to controlling salt intake and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
In Japan, the country of longevity, a large 20-year follow-up study involving 49,021 participants revealed a striking phenomenon: those who practiced a healthy lifestyle in their daily lives had lower mortality rates and longer life expectancy.
These healthy habits include: eating fruit, fish, milk in moderation every day, maintaining 40 minutes of exercise a day, maintaining a body mass index between 21-25, avoiding smoking and alcohol, and ensuring that you are 5 per night5-7.4 hours of quality sleep.
Encouragingly, there is a positive correlation between the number of adherence to these healthy habits and reduced mortality and longer lifespan, with up to 47% lower mortality and 6th life expectancy2 years!This not only proves the positive impact of a healthy lifestyle on longevity, but also provides valuable guidance for those who pursue longevity.