Q: Too much sodium in your diet is bad. Can you have too little sodium in your diet? What are the side effects?
A: A low blood sodium level is called Hyponatremia.
Common reasons for Hyponatremia:
- Excess water in the body which dilutes the normal sodium concentration
- From consuming large amounts of water during strenuous exercise
- From chronic diseases like kidney failure or heart failure that lead to water retention
- Prolonged sodium loss due to sweating, vomiting, or diarrhea
- Medical conditions such as Cirrhosis or Addison’s disease
- Or medications such as diuretics
Side effects of prolonged/chronic Hyponatremia:
- Headaches
- Weakness
- Muscle cramps
- Diminish mental acuteness
Notice that a regular diet low in sodium is not a common reason for Hyponatremia. As a matter of fact, the CDC has concluded that 90% of children and 89% of adults in the United States consume more than the recommended limits for sodium. The main culprits are eating out, processed food, and pre-packaged foods. Too little sodium from nutritional habits is usually not an issue.
The following websites were used in answering the question:
http://www.medicinenet.com/hyponatremia/article.htm
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hyponatremia/basics/definition/con-20031445
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-david-samadi/americans-are-still-eating-too-much-salt_b_8964232.html