The consequences of excessive salt consumption

In your mind. The brain of mice that consume salt in excess it is altered After eight weeks with one salt rich diet, rodents differentiate worse known objects from strangers and your sense of direction is affected. They have verified neuroscientists from the Weill Cornell School of Medicine (USA), who believe that this data can be extrapolated to humans who love salty food.

In your body. Reducing salt intake can be as beneficial to the body as quitting smoking. A study published in The New England Journal of Medicine states that if the US population take 3 g less salt a day there would be 34,000 ictus and 45,000 heart attacks less a year in that country.

Delicate balance

The sodium (which brings salt) and potassium work as a team. But what happens when we take more sodium than we should? That balance is broken by increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke. The solution is to reduce the consumption of salt and increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables, rich in potassium that lowers the blood pressure.