Ellen Campbell Grizzle - Pharmacy Today SODIUM IS essential for good health. This important mineral in small amounts regulates fluid balance by controlling the flow of liquid in and out of cells, sparks nerve impulses and helps the body to process and digest proteins and carbohydrates.
Water follows sodium in the body. Excess sodium is linked to increased fluid retention that forces the heart to work harder to push more liquid around. Sodium also helps to constrict blood vessels and this increases resistance to blood movement. These factors can lead to high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke.
Table salt, otherwise called sodium chloride or halite, supplies most of the additional sodium that we eat. Sodium and salt are not the same thing as salt contains 40 per cent sodium and 60 per cent chloride.
Jamaicans love to sprinkle salt liberally on food ranging from meats, fried green plantain, green June plum and tamarind seeds This condiment is used by many to improve the bland taste of unsalted food. Experts suggest that we need only 400 - 500mg of sodium each day. One teaspoonful of salt contains 2000mg and should be sufficient. Sodium is also present in meats, nuts, grains, fruits and vegetables.
It is important to know that sodium is a stabiliser and preservative and is often hidden as an additive in foods and medicines. Therefore, you need to be a
sodium sleuth in order to monitor your sodium load. Look out for the amount of ingredients such as sodium nitrate, sodium benzoate saccharin, monosodium glutamate (MSG), sodium bicarbonate and sodium propionate.
Several commonly-used over-the-counter preparations such as cough and cold medicines, laxatives and aspirins contain sodium. Some antidepressants will interfere with the body's sodium balance. If you are already hypertensive, sodium sensitive or have a heart condition, you will need help in choosing over- the-counter medicines.
Pharmacists always advise persons with high blood pressure to:-
Retire the salt shaker.
Reduce the amount of ketchup and soy sauce.
Cook without MSG which is found in several powdered seasonings.
Drink less soda and eat more fruits and vegetables.
This is good advice but patients always complain that food is tasteless without salt. The good news is that eating salty foods is an acquired taste and after two to three months taste buds will adjust.
A nutritionist can advise about many other spices that can keep your meal tasty without salt. Many pharmacies also sell salt substitutes that contain potassium chloride. These should be used with care. Other products that are made from sodium chloride combined with potassium chloride are not true salt substitutes.
High levels of sodium increase the excretion of calcium and this loss can lead to osteoporosis. Remember calcium has a role in regulating heart beat, conducting nerve impulses, stimulating hormones, clotting blood, building and maintaining healthy bones and teeth. Diets with adequate amounts of potassium and calcium may help to lower blood pressure.
Normally, sodium is recycled in the body but we lose some in perspiration and other normal excretory fluids. It is estimated that the average healthy person needs to replace between 1000-3000mg per day. Low sodium levels also can be problematic leading to decreased resistance to infections, poor wound healing, eye disturbances, fatigue and loss of taste, poor memory and circulation, splitting hairs and white spots on the nails.
Maintaining the right balance of essential minerals and nutrients is key. It appears that as we get older, we become more sensitive to sodium and must monitor its intake more closely. Seniors need to be the best sodium sleuths of all. If you want to know more about how sodium interacts with your medication, ask your pharmacist, you have the right to know!
Ellen Campbell Grizzle, President of the Caribbean Association of Pharmacists (CAP) and Director, Information & Research, National Council on Drug abuse (NCDA), Kingston, Jamaica.
