Sodium
Heart disease is the leading cause of death among adults in America. One person dies from cardiovascular disease every 36 seconds in this nation. Although it is not the only factor, these statistics are largely attributed to the high amount of salt in the American diet. You do need some salt in the diet to relax muscles, conduct impulses, and maintain the proper balance of water to solute ratio in the body. In fact, you only need 500 mg of sodium per day to maintain these processes. But what makes excess salt so dangerous? Well, it comes down to chemistry.
When salt (NaCl) is dissolved in water, it is broken apart into chlorine ions (Cl-) and sodium ions (Na+), as seen in the animation. Water is able to break it down because its negatively charged oxygen atom interacts strongly with the positive charge of the sodium ion and pulls it apart, which can be seen in the figure on the right. Similarly, water's positively charged hydrogen atoms interact with the negative charge of the chlorine, and pulls it apart. That's how the dissolution process works. To learn more about charge and ions, see "Elements, Atoms & Ions".
Interaction between salt and water
Salt dissolving in water
Because of the salt-water interaction described above, when excess salt is consumed, the sodium enters the bloodstream and pulls water with it. This is what causes cardiovascular issues. Too much sodium results in too much water entering the blood vessel, leading to high blood pressure. High bp causes arteries to thicken, so they narrow and the pressure can lead the artery to clog or even burst. When organs do not get oxygen and nutrients from the blood it poses big problems. Over time, excess consumption of sodium can lead to a stroke, heart attack, and neurological conditions.
Excess salt leads to cardiovascular issues
Pretzel - 805 mg (100
grams, soft)
Soy sauce - 291 mg (1 tsp)
Pickle - 1208 mg (100 grams)
Boxed Mac & Cheese - 460 mg (100 grams)
Cheese - 621 mg (100 grams, cheddar)
Frozen shrimp - 800 mg (100 grams)
Ham - 1203 mg (100 grams)
Cottage cheese - 364 mg (100 gram)
Canned broths and soups-varies