Potassium and sodium are out of balance

The lack of Potassium and excess sodium is harmful for the heart and overall health.

Potassium and sodium together play a huge role in regulating blood pressure, and increasing evidence that they are closely linked with the health of bones.

Research and dietary recommendations tend to focus on a particular, usually sodium. This is a mistake, because potassium and sodium are “hand in hand”. And the huge imbalance of this Duo in the diet requires action on two fronts: getting more potassium and less sodium.

Potassium and sodium – it's the dynamic Duo

Potassium and sodium is essential for life. Molecular pumps that pull potassium into cells and push sodium, create a chemical battery, which controls the transmission of signals along the nerves and leads to muscle contraction. Potassium and sodium help the kidneys to work properly. They are important for energy production and fluid balance. And researchers are beginning to investigate this role in bone health.
Thousands of years ago, when people were engaged in gathering and hunting, potassium and sodium a little. The so-called Paleolithic diet contained about 11 000 milligrams (mg) of potassium a day, mostly derived from fruits, vegetables, leaves, flowers, roots and other plant sources, but considerably less than 700 mg of sodium. The scarcity of sodium is reflected in the amazing ability of the human body to hold this substance.

Today, sodium is easy to find in abundance in the final products. The average person consumes one to three teaspoons of salt a day, or from 2500 to 7500 mg of sodium, much of which is hidden in processed or prepared foods. It is much more than the scant 200 mg a day, which the body needs. And another story with potassium. We consumed an average of 2,500 mg of potassium a day, which is about half of the 4,700 mg minimum recommended for adults.

In healthy people, the kidneys respond to excess sodium by washing out the urine. Unfortunately, it also flushes potassium. If the potassium level is low, the body tries to accumulate him, trying to detain and sodium. The water stays with sodium, which leads to an increase in the amount of water in the body and blood volume in the circulation. Blood pressure rises and the heart must work harder. Excess sodium blunts the ability of blood vessels to relax and contract with ease, and can also over-stimulate the growth of cardiac tissue. All of these reactions are compounded by the low consumption of potassium.

One of the ways to bring the sodium from the body is to get more potassium.An interesting report of research on the prevention Hypertension assumes that the change in the balance between potassium and sodium can help the heart and arteries.

In this study, consisting of two parts, held in 1980-ies and 1990-ies, the researchers measured the amount of sodium and potassium, which have been allocated within 24 hours by nearly 3,000 volunteers. (Highlighted number is a good indicator of quantities.) The researchers found that the more sodium relative to potassium, the greater the chance of heart attack or stroke, needing bypass surgery, angioplasty or death from cardiovascular disease within 10-15 years of follow-up (Archives of Internal Medicine, January 12, 2009).

"Our study shows that a simple decrease in sodium or increase in potassium levels will not be as effective for fighting hypertension or heart disease, as both together," says lead researcher Nancy cook, biostatics at the Brigham and women's hospital at Harvard University.

^{Source: national database on nutrients the Ministry of agriculture of the United States.}

Salt and bones

The ratio of sodium and potassium in the diet not only affects kidneys, blood vessels and heart. These minerals affect every part of the body, including permanent destruction or bone grafting. A diet high in sodium increases the amount of calcium that is excreted in the urine. This loss is especially noticeable at low calcium intake. Loss of calcium can contribute to osteoporosis, age-related weakening of bones.

One of the ways of dealing with this problem is to eat more foods rich in calcium. Can also help to get more potassium in the range of the recommended 4,700 mg a day.

Of course, bone health is not just sodium and potassium. Heredity, lack of exercise, hormone levels (low testosterone in men, low estrogen in women) and a lack of vitamin D and vitamin K can also weaken bones. But good to know that positive changes in the diet made for your heart would be beneficial for other organs.

Diet centuries

Our stone age ancestors consumed 16 times more potassium than sodium. The modern tribes of hunter-gatherers have the same high odds. This is very far from today's usual diet, in which sodium is approximately two times bigger than potassium. In a typical example – bacon, eggs and tomato juice for Breakfast; a ham sandwich and soda for lunch; a bag of tortilla chips for a snack; and fettuccine Alfredo, canned green beans, and garlic bread for dinner – it contains 1600 mg of potassium and 4,100 mg of sodium, at a ratio of 0.4 to 1.
One of the ways to prevent or combat high blood pressure and maintain heart health is to increase the amount of potassium that you get, and at the same time reducing sodium intake.

The best way to get more potassium and less sodium – eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, beans, fish, poultry and ready meals with low salt content. You can exceed the mark of 4,700 milligrams for potassium and stay below the 800 mg of sodium, regularly eating oatmeal, drinking orange juice and coffee for Breakfast; a sandwich with peanut butter and jelly, milk for lunch; baked halibut, baked potato with skin and spinach salad with half an avocado for dinner; and some peanuts, raisins, banana. The ratio of potassium and sodium in this menu is 14 to 1.

Add some exercise, and although you do not live like people of the stone age, arteries can be as healthy as them.

According to information health.harvard.edu

Comment on the article

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In Ukraine this salt is produced under the brand name SOLENA. SOLENA salt is a mixture of 70% sodium salt with 30% potassium salt. The use of SOLENA instead of the usual sodium salts containing more than 98% sodium chloride, helps to maintain the balance of sodium and potassium in the diet.

SOLENA salt used in a healthy diet. Also salt SOLENA will be easy to adhere salt diet that doctors recommend for people with high blood pressure.

Usually in people with high blood pressure also increase the threshold salt sensitivity, so they overdo the food. Replacement of sodium salt for salt with reduced sodium content SOLENA helps to restore the threshold of taste sensitivity to salt.

Normalization in the diet of sodium and potassium helps to normalize blood pressure!

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Use salt SOLENA for a healthy diet and for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.

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