JINSI CHUMVI INAVYOWEZA KUATHIRI MWILI NA KUSABABISHA MAGONJWA

 

People have been using salt since the dawn of civilization to process, preserve and enhance food.

In ancient Rome, salt was so important to trade that soldiers were paid their wages, for example, in salt.

The value of salt was partly as a food preservative, controlling unwanted microbes and allowing desirable ones to grow.

it is that amazing ability to control bacterial growth that may have helped develop fermented foods from sauerkraut to salami, from olives to bread, from cheese to kimchi (salted and fermented vegetables).

there is growing evidence that too much salt (especially the sodium chloride added to preserve and flavor many processed foods) is making people sick.

It can cause high blood pressure and contribute to heart attacks and strokes. it is also associated with an increased risk of stomach and colon cancer, Ménière's disease (an inner ear disorder that can cause vertigo), osteoporosis and obesity.

How can something thought to be worth its weight in gold turn into something that many medical institutions consider a leading indicator of disease?

The influence of salt may be the answer to this question.

and as a gastroenterologist and research scientist at the University of Washington, I want to share the growing evidence that the microbes in your gut may also shed light on how salt contributes to disease

Blood pressure

The role of sodium in high blood pressure and heart disease is largely because it controls the amount of water in the blood vessels.

In simple terms, the more sodium in the blood, the more water is attracted into the blood vessels.

this leads to increased blood pressure and the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Salt causes a decrease in healthy microbes and the important metabolites they produce from fiber.

these metabolites reduce inflammation in the blood vessels and make them relax, which helps lower blood pressure.

Excess salt can contribute to high blood pressure

except for certain organisms that thrive in salt, called halophiles, high levels of salt can be toxic to almost any microbes, even those that your body needs.

that's why people have been using salt for a long time to preserve food and keep it away from unwanted bacteria.

But the modern diet is often high in sodium. According to the World Health Organization, the healthy intake is less than 2,000 milligrams per day for the average adult.

the global average intake of 4,310 milligrams of sodium has likely increased the amount of salt in the gut above healthy levels.

Salt in heavy weight

Sodium is linked to other health outcomes besides high blood pressure, and your microbiome may play a role here as well.

A high sodium diet and high levels of sodium in the stool are significantly associated with metabolic problems, including high blood sugar, liver disease and weight gain.

in fact, one study estimated that for every gram of daily increase in dietary sodium, there is a 15% increased risk of weight gain.

A typical diet study from the US National Institutes of Health found that those who followed a no-processed-foods diet for two weeks consumed 500 more calories and weighed 1 kg more compared to those who followed a low-processed diet.

one of the biggest differences between the two diets was the consumption of an additional 1.2 grams of sodium with more processed foods.

One of the explanations for why an increase in salt can lead to weight gain despite having no calories is that sodium increases appetite

Countries that reduce salt consumption

While many countries are implementing national salt reduction programs, sodium consumption in many parts of the world continues to increase.

Dietary salt reduction in the United States in particular continues to decline, while many European countries have begun to see benefits such as lower blood pressure and fewer deaths from heart disease through initiatives such as salt labeling on packages, dietary modification toreduce salt. , and even a tax on salt.A comparison of nutritional data for fast food products between countries shows significant differences.

For example, McDonald's chicken is saltier in the United States and even American Coca-Cola contains salt, an ingredient that is not available in other countries.

Some fast foods are more salty than others. P

The salt industry in the United States may play a role in this regard.

he insisted on avoiding government regulations on salt in the 2010s, unlike what the tobacco industry did with cigarettes in the 1980s.

Salty foods sell well.

one of the salt industry's main voices for years, the now-defunct Salt Institute, may have confused the public health message about the importance of salt reduction by emphasizing the rare conditions where salt restriction may be dangerous.

but there is growing evidence of the need to reduce salt in the diet, and institutions are responding.

In 2021, the United States Department of Agriculture issued new guidelines calling for a gradual voluntary reduction of salt in commercially prepared and processed foods.

The Salt Institute was disbanded in 2019. Other organizations, such as the American Institute of Preserved Foods and major ingredient suppliers, such as Cargill, agree to reduce dietary salt.

Same ratio

How can you feed your gut microbes well considering your salt intake?start by reducing your intake of highly processed foods : high-salt meats (such as fast food and cured meats), salty chips and high-salt snacks (such as soda, crackers and breads).

Currently, up to 70% of the salt in the American diet comes from processed foods.

.instead, focus on foods that are low in added sodium and sugar and high in potassium and fiber, such as unprocessed plant foods: beans, nuts, seeds, grains, fruits and vegetables.

Fermented foods, while typically high in sodium, can also be a healthy choice.

Finally, consider the ratio of sodium to potassium in the food. While sodium helps keep water in blood vessels, potassium helps keep water in cells.

Dietary sodium is best used in balanced proportions.