Counteracting a high sodium diet by drinking more water?

Question

Does drinking a lot of water counteract the negative effects of eating a lot of sodium? As a background I am a healthy 20 year old who loves to eat beef jerky, it is basically all sodium. I also drink a lot of water, which a biology teacher told me negates the negative effects. Is this true?

Answer 1

Go for it. Your teacher is absolutely correct.
The metabolism struggles to maintain a proper salt concentration in the blood. Less water means higher concentration, which means the body has to retain water in order to maintain the solution at proper level, and that is no good.
If you drink plenty of water, the body will just get rid of the excess and maintain what it needs. Just make sure you don't exaggerate (8 to 10 glasses a day should be plenty). As everything in life, moderation is the key.

Beef jerky is an excellent nutrient because of its ratio of protein to carbos. I eat a lot of it too. Keep it up!

Answer 2

Wrong.

Sodium plamsa level remian the same, it is just that there is a less concentrated level of it because the water dillutes it.

It is best to reduce sodium intake, increase potassium slightly.
LoSalt is good for this, though it is 2/3rd sodium chloride and 1/3rd pottasium chloride.

Although pottasium can help with the effects of sodium excess it is not a substitute and can lead to hyperkalaemia.
So lower sodium is always best.

Ask a doctor for a low sodium diet plan.

Answer 3

Nothing wrong with water. What goes in comes out. Salt has benefits too but in the long run you risk high blood pressure when you are older. So go moderately on the salt and remember people have killed theirselves by drinking too much water. A vwise thing to do is use moderation in everything.

Answer 4

It's not true of course...Imagine a half a glass of water, add 20 teaspoons of salt ans stir. Now top the glass to the top. Is the salt still there in full or has it been reduced?

It is still there - albeit in a more dlitued form