How much salt does the human body consume every day

Salt is an essential substance for the human body. Without salt, our body will lack energy and strength. Even if you consume more water and protein, there is no way to convert energy into the energy needed by the body. In ancient times, the government could even rule the people by controlling salt, which shows the importance of salt. So, how much salt does the human body need to consume every day?

First, excessive salt intake can cause high blood pressure. The main component of table salt is sodium chloride. Once the amount of sodium ions entering the body increases, the crystal osmotic pressure in the plasma will increase. In order to maintain the balance of osmotic pressure inside and outside the blood vessels, a large amount of water will be retained in the blood vessels, resulting in an increase in blood volume. This increases the burden on blood vessels, reduces blood vessel elasticity, and thus increases blood pressure.

Second, excessive salt intake can cause edema. Excessive salt intake will change the osmotic pressure inside and outside the cells in the human tissue fluid, causing water to flow out of the cells, leading to water and sodium retention in the body. At the same time, eating too much salt will make people feel thirsty, and they need to drink a lot of water to relieve the thirst, which further increases the water retention in the body and causes local edema. This phenomenon is more obvious for those with renal insufficiency.

Third, excessive salt intake can cause the body's pigmentation to darken, making it more prone to freckles. Eating too much salt can not only make your face dark and yellow, but also cause freckles on your cheeks. If you consume too much animal fat and protein at the same time, it will affect the normal metabolism of the liver and make freckles more noticeable.

In addition, excessive salt intake can lead to a series of reactions such as osteoporosis, gastritis, and asthma. Therefore, we must pay attention to controlling the intake of salt in our daily eating habits. There are mainly the following points to note:

First, we must pay special attention to the control of "invisible salt" in the surrounding area. When it comes to controlling salt intake, it’s not just about controlling the amount of salt in daily life, but also about paying attention to controlling the intake of “invisible salt” around us. This type of "invisible salt" includes condiments such as soy sauce and MSG, canned and pickled foods, fermented foods such as bread and biscuits, junk foods such as instant noodles and French fries, snacks such as salted duck eggs and fermented bean curd, and roasted nuts such as sunflower seeds and peanuts. Therefore, controlling salt intake must be done in multiple ways to prevent excessive intake of "invisible salt".

The second is to control the daily salt intake. The World Health Organization advocates that the human body should consume 6 grams of salt per day. According to statistics, the daily salt intake of Chinese people has seriously exceeded this level, reaching an average of more than 10 grams per day. We advocate a daily salt intake of 5-6 grams. Of course, this is under normal circumstances. Due to the high temperatures in summer and heavy sweating after exercise, we still need to appropriately supplement the salt lost by the human body.