Sodium and Liquid Vitamins & Minerals

Salt, (sodium chloride) is essential for life and liquid vitamins and minerals can make the processes of sodium more effective.

Although scientists agree that a minimal amount of salt is required for survival, and the low intake of this mineral, the health implications of excess salt intake represent an area of considerable controversy among not only scientists, but also clinicians and public health experts.

Lowering the intake of this mineral is being examined more each year for potential health benefits. Sodium and chloride are the principal ions in the fluid of cells which includes blood plasma.

As such, they play very critical roles in a number of life-sustaining processes.

These two elements are electrolytes that contribute to the maintenance of concentration and charge differences across cell membranes.

Potassium is the principal positively charged ion inside the cells, while sodium is the principal on extra-cellular fluid.

Absorption of this mineral in the small intestine plays an important role in the absorption of chloride, amino acids, glucose, and water and low intakes of this mineral appear to be beneficial in most cases. Because this mineral is the primary determinant of extra-cellular fluid volume, including blood volume, a number of physiological mechanisms that regulate blood volume and blood pressure work by adjusting the body's content of this mineral in the circulatory system.

Pressure receptors sense changes in blood pressure and send excitatory signals to the nervous system and/ or endocrine glands to affect sodium regulation by the kidneys. In general, retention of this mineral results in water retention and loss of this mineral result in water loss.

The ease of taking and swallowing liquid vitamins and minerals by all age groups make them much easier to use than average pills or capsules, and their superior absorption make them especially effective with this mineral.

Dietary salt restriction has been reported to lower blood pressure significantly in 30%-60% of hypertensive individuals and in 25%-50% of normotensive individuals, suggesting that there is a subset of people who are more sensitive to the effects of dietary salt on blood pressure.

Salt sensitivity has been reported to be more common in obese and insulin-resistant individuals, as well as African Americans, elderly, and female hypertensive people. Chronic hypertension damages the heart, blood vessels, and kidneys, thereby increasing risk of heart disease and stroke as well as hypertensive kidney disease.

Most of this mineral in the diet comes from salt and a deficiency can result if there is none of this mineral, or very little, introduced in the body.

It has been estimated that 75% of the salt intake in the U.S. is derived from salt added during food processing or manufacturing, rather than from salt added at the table or during cooking.

Foods that are high in salt include: Hot dogs (beef), dill pickles, tomato juice, (canned-salt added), corned beef hash, pretzels (salted), canned chicken noodle soup, macaroni and cheese, and potato chips (salted).

LIQUID VITAMINS

Foods that are low in salt include: Olive oil, pears (raw), popcorn (air-popped-unsalted), almonds (unsalted), brown rice, orange juice (frozen), mangos, tomatoes, fruit cocktail (canned), potato chips (unsalted), carrots, and tomato juice (canned-unsalted).

Ingestions of large amounts of this mineral can lead to nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps.

Liquid vitamins and mineral supplements offer a much more effective way to ingest both minerals and vitamins into your system.

Natural Sources for Sodium

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