Salt has been demonized for the last 50 years,

but eating more salt can lower stress, improve metabolic health and might even make you live longer.

Here are the BENEFITS of SALT (Thread):

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Salt intake predicts longevity.

The dotted lines are the daily recommended amounts of sodium

which are associated with the lowest health and lifespan.

Doubling or tripling the recommendations is associated with increased lifespan and healthspan.

Abiding by the recommended 2300 mg of sodium per day ➡️ increased risk of death

Adding an additional full teaspoon of salt decreases risk of death.

Salt has a few important health benefits ⬇️

Salt IMPROVES insulin resistance.

Adding 8g of salt enhanced glucose metabolism WITHOUT raising insulin.

Diabetics can actually benefit from sodium supplements in many instances.

Low salt diets have been repeatedly shown to impair insulin sensitivity.

The same low salt diet we are literally recommended to eat, yet DOUBLING that amount improves insulin resistance.

How does this happen?

Well, a few key reasons:

Restricting salt intake activates this stress system.

It is called the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system.

The purpose of this system is to retain sodium,

increasing the excretion of potassium and activating the stress systems of the nervous system.

The salt restriction stress hormones:

- Angiotensin II
- Aldosterone

both poison mitochondrial function.

They increase free radicals which worsens energy production.

Eating plenty of salt prevents this, but the recommended amounts are likely to increase these hormones.

Higher salt diets increase metabolism.

Animals fed on low salt diets:

⊛ Eat less food
⊛ Gain more weight
⊛ Have lower body temperatures

than those on higher salt diets.

Salt intake increases metabolism.

Certain populations have hugely increased salt intakes in the winter to increase body heat and survive.

Animals do this too.

High salt diets are powerfully anti-stress.

1,150 milligrams vs 5175 mg of sodium, the higher salt amount:

☆ Cuts adrenaline in half
☆ Slashes noradrenaline

The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system activates the adrenal glands + sympathetic nervous system.

Salt prevents this.

The salt restriction hormone angiotensin II causes cancer.

Animals given extra angiotensin II have rapidly developing and more lethal cancers.

People with cancer tend to have higher angiotensin II levels.

Enough salt usually stops this.

One of the problems is that angiotensin II, again increased by salt deficiency, is a powerful inflammatory agent.

Inflammation lies at the core of many chronic conditions.

Higher sodium levels are protective against heart attacks.

Increasing stress hormones, impairing insulin sensitivity, driving inflammation and oxidative stress are great ways to contribute to heart disease.

Salt restriction does all of those things.

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Some common symptoms of high aldosterone (driven by low salt intake):

Fatigue
Headache
Weakness
Abdominal distention
Ileus
Polyuria
Polydipsia,
Nephrogenic diabetes
Liver problems
& ironically, high blood pressure.

Restricting salt intake is also a great way to increase serotonin systemically.

I've discussed why that is a problem here:

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And here:

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Adding an additional teaspoon of salt daily reduces cortisol.

That is double the recommended amount.

Restricting salt, activating the renin angiotensin aldosterone system, can also downstream increase this stress hormone.

Wake up in the middle of the night to pee? You might need more salt.

Salt increases a hormone called vasopressin (AVP) which helps retain fluid during the night.

Excessive urination is also driven by stress hormones that salt lowers:

- Angiotensin II
- Aldosterone
- Adrenaline

We also need salt for proper hydration.

Absorption of water is dependent on enough sodium.

Unfortunately, many salts now are contaminated with metals and microplastics.

Sea salts tend to be better, but are missing iodine, so ensure to increase iodine rich foods if opting for it.

We use a high quality one from @JulianaLung verasalt.co/products/fine-…