What's So Bad About Salt?...

[ramama]

...other than high blood pressure.  Talking from a purely health standpoint, what is wrong with salt?  I eat a lot of salt.  Like, what you normally think is a lot times 10.  But my blood pressure is low (we're talking 80/60 here, which I should probably have checked out by a professional but haven't yet) so I'm not concerned with hyped-up claims of salt raising blood pressure.  Is there anything else caused by salt?

[Ldavis24]

hmm bumping because I am curious too.... I eat a lot of salt and have generally low BP..Not super low like OP (I would get that checked too, there is such a thing as too low I believe...Maybe I'm not a doctor) Mine is around 105/62 generally...

[PlayaMama]

i think salt is only of concern if you already have high blood pressure. it doesn't cause it, but it can exacerbate it because it puts stress on your kidneys. if your renal system isn't functioning well, then this causes blood pressure problems.

[Sol_y_Paz]

The problem is it is in everything in great amounts.  People are getting extreme amounts of it by consuming a SAD (standard american diet, processed stuff, canned, eat out, etc.)  Too much salt has been shown to not be heathy, more so for people with certain health issues.  

I read somewhere most people who cook their own meals and snack do not use and consume near as much salt so it isn't an issue.  

Edited by Sol_y_Paz - 3/28/11 at 9:22pm