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I sip water all day. A habit I am sure is sowed in from 18 years of tennis and thousands of changeovers. Despite easily consuming 2l of water per day, I often feel thirsty. So how could this be?
Well recently, there has been a rising trend on social media for drinking salt water to aid in hydration, energy and focus.
The post shared by Dr. James DiNicolantonio, a reputable doctor and research scientist specialising in health and nutrition, caught my attention and prompted me to delve deeper into the subject. If salt is needed for hydration, I wondered if my balance of salt and fluid is a reason for my thirst.
This is a complex topic. Ultimately, your health is your responsibility, so I encourage you to consider this newsletter as an introduction and to consult your doctor if you are considering adjusting your salt intake.
With that vague disclaimer out of the way, let's dive in.
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Impact (5/10)
Did you know that urine is essentially diluted blood? I came to understand this fascinating fact during my research on the topic.
Sodium plays a crucial role in maintaining hydration by delivering the water we drink to our cells, as it is dissolved in the bloodstream. The balance between the amount we take in and excrete, therefore, plays a vital role in our overall hydration.
Moreover, sodium also helps regulate a healthy blood pressure by maintaining proper fluid levels. Consequently, individuals with high blood pressure are often advised to reduce their salt intake, while those with low blood pressure may be recommended to increase it.
Apart from these benefits, drinking salt water may offer some additional advantages:
Improved digestion, as it stimulates stomach acid to aid in food breakdown.
Detoxification by flushing out more toxins released from better digestion, a process sometimes referred to as 'salt water flush'.
However, excessive salt consumption can lead to an altered gut microbiome, resulting in a loss of diversity. In severe cases, it may cause diarrhoea, high blood pressure, kidney disease, and stroke.
Confidence (7/10)
It is widely known that dehydration can significantly impact physical performance, and it is fairly common to see athletes sipping on fluids of various colours.
Researchers have also found notable cognitive impairment in athletes who experienced a 2% body weight loss due to fluid loss. This growing body of evidence might explain why influencers are recommending the consumption of salt water.
When it comes to health topics, particularly complex or less researched ones, I frequently look to Dr. Huberman for authoritative insights. If you're interested in conducting your own research, which I highly recommend, you could start by listening to his podcast on 'Using Salt to Optimise Mental and Physical Performance'
Dr. Huberman supports the idea that thirst and hydration are not just about fluid intake but also about maintaining adequate sodium levels. Huberman is very clear that adequate is contextual and general recommendations do not consider climate, diet, activity levels or blood pressure. He advises his listeners to figure out what is the right level for them. He does however concur that drinking salt water or electrolytes is necessary for many individuals.
Huberman touches upon intermittent fasting, because those that do IF may also drink black coffee in their fasting period. As coffee is a diarectic these individuals are excreting sodium that is not being replenished by salt in food and therefore he recommends adding salt to water.
In addition, as a general rule of thumb Huberman states that anyone who consumes caffeine, would benefit from drinking 1.5x water or water with a small pinch of salt for every oz of caffeinated fluid consumed.
For those who prefer reading over listening, the influencer mentioned earlier has wrote a book on the subject, titled The Salt Fix.
Ease (7/10)
Some argue that the average person gets enough salt from food.
The NHS recommends a salt intake guideline of no more than 6g or roughly 1 teaspoon per day for a healthy adult. 6g of salt contains 2.3mg of sodium.
But this guideline does not take into account contextual factors, already mentioned.
Signs that you may have a sodium deficiency include weakness, headaches, poor focus, and cravings for salt.
If you and your health professional decide to increase your salt intake, the most economical but less pleasant method is to add roughly a pinch of salt to about 350ml of lukewarm water.
Choose sea salt or Himalayan other table salt as they contain other trace minerals, like potassium, zinc and iron.
Alternatively, you can opt for electrolytes, which contain these other essential minerals too.
Personally, my next step (and one you could follow) is to determine my average daily salt intake. Since I primarily consume an unprocessed diet, I suspect it may be on the lower side. If that turns out to be true, it would support the hypothesis that my salt and fluid balance may need attention.
Final Thought
Like most topics I cover in this newsletter, it is difficult to observe any benefit if the foundations are not in place. That’s sufficient sleep, low stress levels and a nutritious diet.
My advice is to tackle those big three first. Then look where you may find marginal gains.
Rachael
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