Other Related Minerals: Magnesium

• There’s a direct relationship between the stress system (glucocorticoid system) and the salt craving system
• Bringing sodium in the body counteracts or resists stressors in our lives
• If sodium is too low, our ability to combat stressors is impaired

1. Osmotic thirst (concentration of salt in the bloodstream);
2. Hypovolemic thirst (thirst related to drop in blood pressure)

The cascades are set off for concentrations of both high and low sodium in the blood.

• Osmotic and hypovolemic thirst are not just about see...

• The kidneys are responsible for retaining and releasing substances in the body such as glucose, amino acids, urea, uric acids, salt, potassium, etc.
• Very general mechanism: blood enters the kidney and responds to hormonal signals to make mechanical or chemical changes to retain or re...

• Blood pressure is in part regulated by sodium intake and sodium balance
• An increase in sodium could help combat symptoms of low blood pressure
• Historically, we’ve been taught that a high salt diet may be consequential for brain function
• However, high salt diets are li...

Sodium and potassium work closely together in the body. Recommended ratios of sodium to potassium vary widely

• Diet is an important contextual element to your ideal sodium-potassium ratio
• Low carb dieters excrete more water so lose sodium and po...

The blood-brain barrier prevents substances from entering the brain unless those substances are very small or required for brain function – but there are special areas (organum vasculosum of the lamina terminalis; OVLT) that monitor salt and osmolarity sense contents of blood and salt levels

• Neurons activated in the gut are activated when sugar, fatty acids, and amino acids are present
• Nerve cells in the gut are collecting information about what’s there and send that information up to the brain
• Neuropod cells sense nutrients, particularly sugar, which activates ...