The Importance of the Sodium/Potassium Balance within the Body
The main positively charged electrolyte that is found in the
extracellular fluids which baths all the body cells is sodium. A
pump in the cell membrane maintains high levels of sodium inside
the cells to offset that in the extracellular fluid. Sodium
chloride (salt) is found in table salt, salted crisps, bacon,
salted nuts, tinned products especially ones that contain brine,
meat pastes, pates, ready-prepared foods, sauces and packet
soups, stock cubes, yeast extracts and cured, smoked and pickled
fish and meat.
Potassium is the main positively charged ion found inside cells.
The ion-exchange pumps found in cell walls actively pump
potassium inside cells and sodium ions are pumped out to make
room for it. Potassium is found seafood, fruit, vegetables, and
whole grains.
The sodium/potassium balance is one way in which the body
regulates the pH in the body. When the body is too acidic the
kidneys excrete potassium and when the body is too basic the
kidneys excrete sodium. If you have a more acidic environment in
your kidneys then the chances of kidney stones developing is
reduced. When the urine is too basic, phosphorus and calcium
bind together to form stones in the kidneys. Consuming potassium
will make urine more acidic thus stopping the formation of
kidney stones.
Sodium and potassium help to regulate the blood pressure. Cells
will be deficient of potassium if potassium is not consumed
within the diet. An average western diet is high in sodium so it
is very likely that westerner have a high amount of sodium on
the outside of the cells within their bodies. The high amount of
sodium causes extra work for the cellular pump to keep the
sodium outside the cell membrane. The increases of sodium within
the cells increase the amount of water within the cells. The
water is taken from the surrounding fluids and blood which
causes a decrease in blood pressure. To keep blood pressure to a
healthy level, it is wise to consume potassium.
Potassium has far reaching affects on cell membrane functions
without it the brain could not send messages to other parts of
the body and individual cells would starve to death. Natural
foods are very high in potassium but processed and refined foods
are very bad effects on potassium. The refining process kills
potassium, refined carbohydrates such as white flour and sugar
increases the excretion of potassium and refined food increases
the need for potassium because they containing high levels of
sodium in the form of salt which upsets the sodium/potassium
balance. Bananas, dried fruit, potatoes, avocados, milk, whole
grain, broccoli and legumes are all high in potassium.
To enable each sodium/potassium pumps in cells to work properly
it is vital that the body's sodium/potassium balance is correct.
The body is designed for a diet high in potassium and low in
sodium. Our ancestors rarely consumed salt (sodium chloride the
source of sodium) and it was important to them to eat a lot of
salt when they found it to balance the large amounts of
potassium that was in their food, this is why our bodies are
equipped with a salt hunger. Today in modern society this salt
hunger goes against us because salt is readily available and our
bodies not only want a lot of sodium but are rigged to store it.
Our adrenal glands are stimulated to release aldosterone when we
eat large amounts of potassium. Aldosterone is a hormone that
tells the kidneys to save sodium and excrete potassium. This
mechanism kept our ancestors alive but in modern society with
its abundance of salt, it is now causes all kinds of health
problems.
High blood pressure is caused when there is a lot of salt in the
blood. High blood pressure means that the blood in the body is
pushing on the vein wall. This pressure on the vein wall causes
the heart not to pump as hard. The kidneys react to the drop in
blood coming through them by releasing aldosterone and rennin.
Rennin constricts the blood vessels and aldosterone tells the
kidneys to save sodium and excrete potassium. When sodium is
drawn back into the body it brings with it water and urea, urea
is toxic.
The kidneys work very hard to keep the sodium/potassium balance
correct, they filter 541 pints of blood a day and are designed
to deal with little disturbance in the sodium/potassium balance.
It is an enormous disturbance when the body is overloaded with
sodium and it is very hard for the kidneys to get the
sodium/potassium balance correct. The kidneys do not function as
well and it can even lead to the kidneys to stop working all
together. Salt is not totally all bad, in fact without a certain
amount of sodium the body would die. Sodium is in all of the
bodies fluids. This is why there is a salty taste to blood,
tears, sweat and urine. Sodium and chloride aid in the transport
of nutrients between cells. To stop calcium from collecting on
the artery walls, sodium disperses it evenly through the blood.
Hydrochloric acid is needed by the body to digest food; salt is
needed to produce hydrochloric acid. The body can become salt
deficient, but this is extremely difficult to happen. Sunken
eyes, wrinkles, nausea, vomiting, flatulence, diarrhoea,
confusion, irritability, low blood pressure and problems with
breathing are all symptoms of salt deficiency. The body needs
300 - 500mg of sodium a day; the average westerner gets
10,000-12,000mg a day.
In conclusion, the sodium/potassium balance is a delicate one
that the kidneys are constantly monitoring. A typical western
diet is high in salt and it is mainly salt that upsets the
sodium/potassium balance which leads to kidney problems and high
blood pressure. For the body to remain in a healthy condition it
is best to cut down on processed foods that are high in salt and
to eliminate the practice of adding table salt to meals, it
would also be wise to eat more natural whole foods that are high
in potassium.