Ask The Science Chick: How Bad Is Sodium Consumption

For An Athlete?
Q How bad is consumption of sodium for an athlete? Is there really a need to limit it if I'm
perfectly healthy?
For years, we've been told that consuming too much sodium can lead to a whole host of problems.
The more sodium you have in your body, the more water it binds to. For this reason, sodium was
long thought to increase blood pressurea risk factor for heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease.
However, several studies have demonstrated no benefit to sodium restriction when it comes to
preventing heart disease or death.1-3 While reducing sodium intake can lower blood pressure, the
change is rather small and likely to have negligible effects on your health. An average person who
reduces his or her salt intake from the median levels (around 3,500 milligrams a day) to the
recommended levels may see a drop in blood pressure from about 120/80 to 118/79not a meaningful
change!
Now, I'm not advocating the use of very high amounts of sodium on a daily basis. Yet I am in
agreement with those who believe there is no longer any valid basis for the current sodium
guidelines. Those guidelines recommend less than 2,300 milligrams a day (about 1 teaspoon of salt),
and no more than 1,500 milligrams a day for those over the age of 50 or those who are at an
increased risk for developing hypertension (blood pressure 120/80).
In 2013, the Institute of Medicine concluded there was insufficient evidence that following the U.S.
recommended limit on sodium consumption improved health outcomes. To add to that, existing
evidence does not support a positive or negative effect of lowering sodium intake to less than 2,300
milligrams a day in terms of cardiovascular risk.4
There is no doubt that monitoring sodium intake in specific populations is warranted, but to make
the same assumption for those who are apparently healthy makes no sense to me. Your body needs
sodium. It helps regulate blood pressure and volume, is necessary for proper nerve and muscle
function, and can add great flavor to food.
For individuals who are highly active, sodium is a crucial electrolyte that helps maintain intracellular
and extracellular fluids in the right balance. It also helps maintain electrical gradients across cell
membranes, which is crucial for nerve transmission and muscle contraction. In athletes, a low
sodium intake can cause muscle cramps, and in more serious cases can cause hyponatremia, a
sodium deficiency that can be very dangerous.5

If you're healthy and not at risk for developing hypertension, don't stress about sodium intake.
Additionally, if you're a heavy and/or "salty" sweater (like yours truly), you are at an increased risk
for sodium deficiency. In that case, it becomes even more important to make sure you're getting
adequate salt intake.
Take-home message
If you're healthy and not at risk for developing hypertension, don't stress about sodium intake. If you
start noticing swelling in various parts of your body (due to excessive water retention), or a rise in
your blood pressure ( 120/80), monitor your sodium intake more closely. Otherwise, salt up!
I hear that Americans consume too much omega-6 and not enough omega-3 in their diets. How
important is that ratio in the foods I consume?
Omega-3 fatty acids rank among the most important nutrients for your body. They're essential to
your overall health and can be beneficial for heart health, cholesterol levels, and whole-body
inflammation.
Omega-3 fats can be acquired from both animal and plant sources, although most experts will tell
you animal-based omegas that contain EPA and DHA are better than plant-based sources.
Omega-6 fatty acids are also essential for your health, and they play a crucial role in brain function
as well as normal growth and development. These fatty acids are primarily sourced from corn, soy,
canola, and sunflower oils.

Omega-3 fatty acids rank among the most important nutrients for your body. They're essential to
your overall health and can be beneficial for heart health, cholesterol levels, and whole-body
inflammation.
So if omega-6s are just as important for your health as omega-3s, why is it that we're typically told to
supplement with just omega-3? The answer is simple: The standard American diet is already flooded
with omega-6 fatty acids.
Most people fail to consume sufficient amounts of omega-3, which can increase the risk for certain
types of cancer and other serious mental and physical health problems. On the other hand, we
consume plenty of omega-6in some cases, too muchwhich can promote inflammation and contribute
to the narrowing of blood vessels and blood clotting.

In this light, the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 appears to a big player in inflammation and overall
health. Depending on who you ask, the standard American diet has ratios anywhere from 12:1 to
20:1. A ratio closer to 4:1 or lower may be more beneficial for health and cardiovascular function.6
Take-home message
The average diet contains more than enough omega-6, so no need to supplement with those. As far
as omega-3s go, the recommended intake is 1.5-1.8 grams (1,500-1,800 milligrams) per day. This
could be achieved by eating fatty fish a couple times a week, or through supplementing with 0.5-1.8
grams (500-1,800 milligrams) per day of EPA+DHA.7
Are there advantages to getting your creatine from whole-food sources (like red meat) over
consuming it via supplements?
The short answer to this question is no. But let's look at this a little closer.
Supplementing with creatine isn't newwe've been preaching about it for years. The benefits of
creatine range from increases in strength and power to improvements in body composition and brain
function. While your body is capable of producing creatine on its own, it also excretes about 2 grams
a day. In order to optimize creatine stores in the body, we turn to diet and supplementation.
One of the best dietary sources for creatine is red meat. It's estimated that every pound of raw meat
contains 2 grams of creatine. Another great source of creatine is fish like tuna and salmon. But if
your goal is to use only food sources to increase creatine stores, it won't come easily.

One of the best dietary sources for creatine is red meat. It's estimated that every pound of raw meat
contains 2 grams of creatine.
You'd have to consume 2-3 pounds of raw meat or fish to get the same amount of creatine as
supplementing with 5 grams of creatine monohydrate. Not a fan of raw meat? Plan to eat even more
then, as cooking meat at higher heats breaks down creatine, leaving it less available for your body to
absorb.
So while it is possible to get the daily recommended daily dose of creatine (5 grams) through your
diet, I'm not one to advocate eating that much red meat or fish every day. Not only will you see your
grocery bill go up, but there are even some studies out there that suggest eating large amounts of
red meat on a regular basis my shorten your lifespan.8 You may even see your gym time squeezed by
the amount of time you have to spend in the kitchen preparing all that food.
Take-home message
If you're looking for a safe and effective supplement to help boost your performance in the gym,
creatine is for you. But just take the supplement. Taking one teaspoon of creatine is a lot cheaper
and a heck of a lot easier than trying to eat three pounds of meat each day!
Do you have a question for Dr. Kendall? PIace it in the comments section belowit might be chosen
for an upcoming installment!
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European Project on Genes in Hypertension (EPOGH) Investigators. (2011). Fatal and nonfatal
outcomes, incidence of hypertension, and blood pressure changes in relation to urinary sodium
excretion. Jama,305(17), 1777-1785. Alderman, M. H., Cohen, H., & Madhavan, S. (1998). Dietary
sodium intake and mortality: the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES I).
The Lancet, 351(9105), 781-785. McGuire, S. (2014). Institute of Medicine. 2013. Sodium Intake in
Populations: Assessment of Evidence. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2013.
Advances in Nutrition: An International Review Journal, 5(1), 19-20. Rosner, M. H., & Kirven, J.
(2007). Exercise-associated hyponatremia. Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology,
2(1), 151-161. Simopoulos, A. P. (2002). The importance of the ratio of omega-6/omega-3 essential
fatty acids. Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, 56(8), 365-379. Kris-Etherton PM, Harris WS, Appel
LJ, Nutrition Committee. Fish consumption, fish oil, omega-3 fatty acids, and cardiovascular disease.
Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. 2003;23(2):e20-e30. Pan, A., Sun, Q.,
Bernstein, A. M., Schulze, M. B., Manson, J. E., Stampfer, M. J., ... & Hu, F. B. (2012). Red meat
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