Salt is a common ingredient used in our everyday cooking. It adds flavour, taste and also helps preserve food. While salt in recommended amounts in the diet is safe, a high salt diet over a period can begin to negatively impact your health. One of the vital organs affected the most owing to high salt intake is the kidneys.
Sodium chloride is a key mineral needed by the human body to regulate fluid balance, maintaining nerve signals and muscle function. Kidneys are responsible for filtering the waste, balancing fluid levels and regulating minerals like sodium and potassium levels in the system.
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Understanding how high salt diets affect kidney health and learning practical ways to reduce excess intake are important for long-term well-being.
How High Salt Diets Affect Kidney Health?
Increased Blood Pressure
The kidneys play a key role in managing blood pressure by regulating fluid and sodium levels. With high salt diets, the human body retains more fluid to dilute excess sodium, which increases blood volume and eventually raises blood pressure. Chronic high blood pressure (hypertension) damages the delicate blood vessels in the kidneys, thereby decreasing their potential to filter waste efficiently.
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Kidney Workload
Excess salt intake forces the kidneys to work harder to eliminate the sodium via urine. Over a period, constant strain can weaken kidney structures, mainly nephrons (filtering units), resulting in a decline in kidney function.
Protein Leakage in Urine
Excess salt intake contributes to proteinuria, a condition where protein leaks into the urine. Protein leakage is an early indication of kidney damage and increases the risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD).
Elevates Risk of Kidney Stones
Overconsumption of salt increases excretion of calcium in the urine. High urinary calcium levels raise the risk of kidney stone formation, mainly calcium-based calculi.
Progression of Chronic Kidney Disease
For those suffering from kidney disease, excessive salt intake can significantly aggravate symptoms, increase fluid retention and speed up the disease progression.
Indications You May Be Consuming Excessive Salt
Well, symptoms won’t appear initially, but in the long run, the human body will start showing signs of salt overload:
Feeling very thirsty
Swollen hands or feet
High blood pressure
Bloating
If you observe any of these signs, it would be wise to seek guidance from a healthcare provider to evaluate your kidney health.
Recommended Daily Salt Intake
Medical experts globally recommend limiting salt intake to safeguard overall kidney and heart health.
For Adults:
The recommended salt intake for healthy adults is 5 grams of salt per day (which is about 1 teaspoon)
This is equivalent to less than 2,300 mg of sodium
For those suffering from high blood pressure, kidney disease, diabetes, or heart disease.
The recommended intake is below 3-4 grams of sodium per day.
*Source As Per The World Health Organisation (WHO)
Many people unknowingly consume more than twice the recommended amount, mainly through processed and packaged foods.
Also Read: Kidney Health: Know About 11 Early Warning Signs of Renal Disease
Common Sources of Excess Salt
Processed and packaged foods.
Instant noodles and ready-to-eat meals.
Chips, crackers, and salted snacks.
Pickles, sauces, and condiments.
Junk foods and restaurant meals.
Cured meats and canned foods
Healthier Ways to Reduce Excess Salt Intake
Choose Fresh, Whole Foods
Instead of going for processed foods, prefer fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and unprocessed proteins. These foods naturally contain very little sodium and support kidney health.
Home-made Food
Preparing meals at home lets you have complete control over salt intake. Moreover, gradually lowering salt usage in cooking will help your taste buds get accustomed to it over periods of time.
Use Herbs and Spices
A rich array of natural flavour food options, such as garlic, ginger, turmeric, pepper, cumin, coriander, lemon juice, vinegar, or fresh herbs t can be used as a substitute for salt. Eventually, this practice can cut down your overall salt consumption.
Read Food Labels
Read the food labels carefully and check the sodium content on packaged and processed food items. Choose products labelled “low sodium,” “no added salt,” or “reduced sodium.”
Rinse Canned Foods
Rinsing canned beans, vegetables, or lentils can reduce overall sodium content by up to 30–40%.
Limit Sauces/ Condiments
All preserved item soy sauce, ketchup, salad dressings and pickles, are primary sources of added sodium in the diet. Use them sparingly or opt for low-sodium versions.
Be Mindful When Eating Out
Prefer low-sodium food choices while eating out and restrict intake of highly processed foods or fried food items.
Conclusion
Salt is a quintessential nutrient required for proper bodily functioning; however, excess intake can burden the kidneys, increasing your risk of hypertension, kidney stones and chronic kidney disorder.
Following the recommended salt intake and healthier eating habits can significantly safeguard kidney health and improve overall quality of life.
References:
High sodium intake increases blood pressure and the risk of kidney disease. From the Science of Salt: A regularly updated systematic review of salt and health outcomes (August 2016 to March 2017)
Daniela Malta 1, Kristina S Petersen 2,3, Claire Johnson 4, Kathy Trieu 4, Sarah Rae 5, Katherine Jefferson 5, Joseph Alvin Santos 4, Michelle M Y Wong 6, Thout Sudhir Raj 7, Jacqui Webster 4, Norm R C Campbell 8, JoAnne Arcand 5,
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8030856/
A high salt diet induces tubular damage associated with a pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic response in a hypertension-independent manner
Douglas Esteves Teixeira,
Diogo B. Peruchetti a
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0925443920302556
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