सफेद दुश्मन : नमक और चीनी… Two white Enemies: Salt and Sugar

Author : Dr. P. D. GUPTA
Former Director Grade Scientist, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, India
www.daylifenews.in
A few years back I wrote a scientific article entitled “Two white Enemies: Salt and Sugar”. The balance of these items is very necessary for the heart and the brain health. Without them we can’t function properly and excess of them will be the root cause of serious diseases. When the brain doesn’t get enough sugar, it also doesn’t get enough oxygen. And unlike high blood sugar, the signs of low blood sugar are often immediate. Symptoms of low blood sugar may include feeling dizzy, shaky, or irritable. You may have trouble walking or talking. On the other hand, too much salt causes the body to retain water. This increase in fluid in the body increases blood pressure which puts a strain on blood vessels, the heart and kidneys. As a result, people with high blood pressure have an increased risk of heart disease and stroke. Reversely, if sodium levels drop gradually over 48 hours or longer, complications are typically more moderate. However, if sodium levels drop rapidly then it is dangerous, it causes rapid brain swelling, which can result in a coma and death, whereas, High sugar intake has long been recognized as a potential environmental risk factor for increased incidence of many non-communicable diseases, including obesity, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes (T2D).
From the preceding statements one can draw the conclusion that high sugar intake is not as dangerous as low salt intake. Off course, there are also long-term effects of eating too much salt. It might raise the chances of things like enlarged heart muscle, headaches, heart failure, high blood pressure, kidney disease, kidney stones, osteoporosis, stomach cancer, and stroke.
Let’s be clear, few of us are in danger of coming up short when it comes to sodium intake. In fact, most people consume adequate amounts of sodium, if not greater amounts than the current recommendation of 2,300 milligrams per day. Once you’ve looked into all these possibilities, here are six times adding more salt to the diet may be appropriate:

  1. If one lives in a hot, muggy climate, excessive sweat can result in a drop in sodium. Excessive sweating could result in hyponatremia (low sodium), even if you haven’t worked out. So, if weather conditions are making you sweat hard, or you’re experiencing headaches, light-headedness or are feeling parched, grab a salty snack. In simple terms add little more salt to your diet in summers.
  2. You’re partaking in some marathon-intensity exercise Athletes who engage in intense exercise, especially for prolonged periods of time (usually an hour or more) may need a sodium boost, as otherwise, hyponatremia(low sodium) can occur (the drop of sodium in the blood results in dizziness, confusion, weakness and even death). As such, hyponatremia is not common, though it can occur when people are sweating hard and drinking lots of water to rehydrate, but they aren’t replacing the sodium their bodies shed while perspiring. So, after an intensive work-out, be sure to eat some salty foods, allowing your body to recover.
  3. Salt-losing nephropathy is a form of kidney disease that makes it difficult for your body to maintain adequate sodium levels. People who suffer from this condition lose excess sodium in their urine, and need to make a conscious effort to keep their sodium levels up. If not, this may result, once again in hyponatremia (low sodium), which could produce symptoms like dizziness, headaches, weakness or fatigue.
  4. Use of diuretic medications under this situation, diuretics needs to consume some extra sodium to help balance things out. There are several medications, especially diuretics, which can lead to mineral imbalances in your body by increasing your urine output. While diuretics are often prescribed for people with hypertension, it is also true that eating too much salt can be risky for those with elevated blood pressure. So, there are times when someone taking.
  5. Older adults particularly those aged 80 and over, may experience a brain boost by upping their salt intake. A study found that compared older adults on low-sodium diets to those who consumed moderate amounts of sodium, those that consumed moderate amounts performed better on some brain function tests.
  6. There is a situation when too much sodium ends up in your urine and not enough is absorbed into your body. While this condition is rare, it tends to spring from genetic abnormalities. Symptoms of this disease include everything from vomiting and excessive thirst to intense salt cravings. (The author has his own study and views)

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