Five years after actor Sridevi’s death from drowning in a bathtub, her producer-husband Boney Kapoor mentioned how she used to experience blackouts due to her no-salt diet to look good and that at the time of her death, was following one of the same routines.
While the WHO recommends five grams of salt every day, and latest reports say Indians end up having eight grams instead and need to cut down consumption, underconsumption can cause its own problems. “Too much salt causes hypertension or high blood pressure but no salt, especially in extreme fad diets, can upset the mineral balance in the body to such an extent that you may land in the ICU with seizures. Some people think that salt leads to water retention and weight gain, making them puffy. So they arbitrarily stop having salt. This causes hyponatremia, a condition where the concentration of sodium in your blood is abnormally low,” says Dr Rommel Tickoo, Director, Internal Medicine, Max Superspeciality Hospital, Saket. He has brought back many such patients and answers frequently asked questions.
What is hyponatremia?
This is a condition when the concentration of sodium in your blood is lower than what is needed for your body to function normally. This dip in sodium can affect blood pressure, muscle and nerve functioning. This is because your body will become overwhelmed with fluid, causing cells to swell and organs to malfunction.
What are acceptable levels of sodium in the body?
Sodium levels are measured in milliequivalents per litre (mEq/L) and are categorised as follows:
- Normal levels: 135 to 145 mEq/L
- Hyponatremia levels: Under 135 mEq/L
- Severe hyponatremia: Under 120 mEq/L
Which medication can cause a drop in sodium levels?
Diuretics decrease blood pressure momentarily but also take our salt through the urine.
What are signs and symptoms of extremely low salt levels?
The symptoms include confusion, headache, fatigue, nausea, lethargy, thirst and dizziness. If the counts are under 120 mEq/L, then it can lead to seizures and other issues.
Some of these are cerebral edema, which is the swelling of the brain due to fluid overload, which can lead to coma, seizures and permanent brain injury. Then there is a rapid breakdown of muscles and kidney damage. It can even send you into cardiac arrest.
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Is water retention related to high salt intake and does it make you look puffy?
Normally you don’t look puffy unless you are overdosing on water. A lot of people have this habit of drinking more than 3-4 litres and may be more prone to accumulating excess fluid.
What should one do to address salt deficiency?
Increase the salt intake till your levels are equalised. Sprinkle it in your soups, salads and dals to sustain the mineral balance. Serious patients will have to be administered saline drips. We also have oral options in salt capsules. Drugs like Tolvaptan increase sodium levels.
