Sodium deficiency - symptoms, causes and treatment

What is sodium deficiency and how much sodium do you need every day?

Sodium is a vital mineral that fulfills a variety of functions in your body. It regulates the fluid balance, is essential for the function of nerves and muscles and plays an important role in maintaining blood pressure. If your body does not have enough sodium, one speaks of one Sodium deficiency or one Hyponatremia.

According to the German Society for Nutrition (DGE), the recommended daily supply of sodium is 1,500 mg per day. This corresponds to about 3.8 g salt (sodium chloride). However, many people consume significantly more sodium, often hidden in processed foods. Excessive consumption of sodium can promote health problems such as hypertension. On the other hand, a sodium deficiency is rather rare, but can have serious consequences.

Sodium deficiency symptoms

The symptoms of a sodium lack can be very diverse and depend on the severity of the defect. Include the possible signs:

• Nausea and vomiting
• Headache
• Confusion and lethargy
• Muscle cramps and weakness
• Dizziness and fainting

In severe cases, a sodium deficiency can lead to neurological damage, coma and, in the worst case, to death. If you find out some of these symptoms, you should definitely obtain medical advice.

Sodium deficiency causes

A sodium deficiency can have different causes. This includes:

• Inadequate sodium intake: A very one -sided nutrition or an extremely low -sodium diet can lead to not eating enough sodium.
• Sweating: With intensive physical exertion, especially in hot climate, you lose a lot of sodium about sweat. If you do not compensate for the losses, there may be a deficiency.
• Diarrhea and vomiting: Heavy gastrointestinal infections with frequent diarrhea and vomiting lead to a significant loss of liquid and electrolytes such as sodium.
• Certain medication: Some medication, such as diuretics (drainage tablets) or certain antidepressants, can increase sodium excretion through the kidneys and thus contribute to a deficiency.
• Hormonal disorders: Diseases of adrenal glands or the brain slope gland can affect the sodium balance and lead to a deficiency.
• Excessive fluid intake: An extremely high fluid intake, for example for runners who drink a lot, can dilute the sodium level in the blood.

Sodium deficiency long -term consequences

A chronic sodium deficiency can have serious consequences for your health. This includes:

• osteoporosis: Sodium plays a role in bone metabolism. A long -term deficiency can increase the risk of bone loss (osteoporosis).
• Neurological damage: Serious sodium deficiency can lead to permanent damage to the nerve tissue, which can express themselves in cognitive impairments or motor disorders.
• Increased risk of falling: The muscle weakness and neurological problems increase the risk of falls and associated injuries.
• Kidney damage: The kidneys are involved in the regulation of the sodium budget. A chronic sodium deficiency can affect kidney function.

In order to avoid long -term consequences, it is important to identify and treat a sodium deficiency at an early stage.

Sodium in food

There are many good sodium sources, both vegetable and animal nature. Here is an overview of the 10 most sodium -rich foods (vegetable or animal) with their average sodium content per 100 g:

Vegan sodium sources (per 100 g)

1. Table salt: 38758 mg
2. Soy sauce: 5493 mg
3. Capers: 2348 mg
4. Green olives: 1556 mg
5. Sour cucumbers: 1208 mg
6. Wakame (raw): 872 mg
7. Sauerkraut: 661 mg
8. Kimchi: 498 mg
9. Peanut butter: 476 mg
10. Tomatoes (cooked): 455 mg

Animal sodium sources (per 100 g)

1. Anchovies (raw): 3668 mg
2. Salami (pig): 2260 mg
3. Blewed -on cheese: 1809 mg
4. Parmesan: 1804 mg
5. Bacon (cooked): 1684 mg
6. Cream cheese: 1625 mg
7. Pecorino: 1433 mg
8. Swiss cheese: 1370 mg
9. Mussels (cooked): 1202 mg
10. Feta: 1139 mg

Overall, animal foods, especially processed meat products, contain more sodium than vegetable. Special finished products and heavily salted food are an exception. Since too much sodium is usually consumed in western nutrition, you should consciously pay attention to the intake and often use unprocessed, low -sodium food.