Desk Report: It is often said that food without salt has no taste. While this statement holds some truth, does salt only enhance the flavor of food, or does it have health benefits as well?
Professor Paul Breslin from Rutgers University in the United States explains that “salt is essential for life.” He points out that salt is important for all functional cells in the body, including those in the brain, spinal cord, muscles, skin, and bones.
Salt provides energy to both the body and mind. “The sodium in salt dissolves in our saliva and activates taste cells, creating small electrical sparks,” says Professor Breslin. “These sparks stimulate our thoughts and emotions.”
According to him, the electrical signals created by salt help in the stimulation of our thoughts and feelings.
Just like calcium, our body cannot store sodium. Therefore, when sodium levels drop, the only solution is to consume more salt. Professor Breslin warns that not getting enough sodium can even be fatal.
When sodium levels are too low in the body, a condition called hyponatremia can occur, which may lead to confusion, vomiting, seizures, irritability, and in severe cases, coma.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), individuals should consume around five grams of salt daily to obtain two grams of sodium.
However, the global average salt consumption per person is about 11 grams. Excessive salt intake increases the risk of heart disease, gastric problems, cancer, osteoporosis, obesity, and kidney diseases.
The WHO estimates that nearly 1.9 million people (1.9 million deaths) worldwide die each year due to excessive salt consumption.
However, the impact of salt on the body depends on an individual’s genetic characteristics.
Over one billion people worldwide suffer from hypertension, and consuming less salt can help in controlling high blood pressure.