I drink water alot and I hear people say "hey that's good..then if you eat something salty, you're covered...the water and the more you drink will flush the salt out" Is this a myth? I know there are alot of trainers in here and alot of people that know about things like this. I haven't found anything on it in books. All I know is you should watch salt intake to prevent high blood pressure. SOmetimes though I just gotta have some BBQ MIDDELSWARTH CHIPS or a big mac...ya know.....does drinking alot of water after really help? Love to know your thoughts on this.
Does Drinking water really flush salt out of the body
- Thread starter LUXX26
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T
trevor
Guest
Seems to me that if you are staying well hydrated then the contents of your body's cells on a molecular level are being kept more dilute, so that the solute percentages might be lowered, up to a point anyway. Why not just limit your salt intake from the beginning and not have to worry about "making up the difference" by drinking alot of water. Having said that, do make sure you stay well hydrated.
Trevor
Trevor
naughtoj
Cathlete
Salt does not cause high blood pressure. If you have it in your immediate family, however, it is smart to try to limit it so that if you do develop high blood pressure, it won't be so hard to kick!
Actually, yeah, there is a balance of potassium (within the cell) and sodium (outside the cell). Your body tries very hard to maintain an equilibrium. When you ingest a large amount of salt (say, a big pizza and wing dinner), if you have not already drank tons of H2O, you will get thirsty. Haven't you ever been awakened in the night super thirsty after a really high salt meal? This is your body attempting to maintain that equilibrium. So, if you do tend to eat a lot of salt, yes, it is very beneficial that you drink tons of water. Drinking a lot of water also helps with bloat and water retention. You could eat less salt if your diet is VERY salty, but be careful there too, as I know they talk of a condition caused by too much water and not enough elecrolytes (as in marathon runners). You can actually make yourself sick, but I think it is a hard thing to do. You probably already drink lots of H2O without even trying, so who cares, right?
BIO 181 was great for all that cell information. Taught me that dehydration is the #1 reason of fatigue in America simply because your body's cells cannot function. Actually, they wither-lose their round shape- and it is harder for them to accept (or produce) ATP, cellular energy. If you ever get a chance to read up on it, it is really fascinating. This is when my quest to drink over a gallon of water a day began. And I still do!!
Janice
Actually, yeah, there is a balance of potassium (within the cell) and sodium (outside the cell). Your body tries very hard to maintain an equilibrium. When you ingest a large amount of salt (say, a big pizza and wing dinner), if you have not already drank tons of H2O, you will get thirsty. Haven't you ever been awakened in the night super thirsty after a really high salt meal? This is your body attempting to maintain that equilibrium. So, if you do tend to eat a lot of salt, yes, it is very beneficial that you drink tons of water. Drinking a lot of water also helps with bloat and water retention. You could eat less salt if your diet is VERY salty, but be careful there too, as I know they talk of a condition caused by too much water and not enough elecrolytes (as in marathon runners). You can actually make yourself sick, but I think it is a hard thing to do. You probably already drink lots of H2O without even trying, so who cares, right?
BIO 181 was great for all that cell information. Taught me that dehydration is the #1 reason of fatigue in America simply because your body's cells cannot function. Actually, they wither-lose their round shape- and it is harder for them to accept (or produce) ATP, cellular energy. If you ever get a chance to read up on it, it is really fascinating. This is when my quest to drink over a gallon of water a day began. And I still do!!
Janice
nancy324
Cathlete
My nutritionist would agree with you, Janice. She believes in drinking tons of water every day - I think it is 64 ozs. per day. She says you don't feel thirst until you are dehydrated, so you can't trust your thirst mechanism to let you know when you need water.
I'm a tad prone to low blood pressure, and find that eating salty foods more often helps me to avoid low blood pressure all together, so I'm always trying to eat MORE salt! It's an individual thing.
I'm a tad prone to low blood pressure, and find that eating salty foods more often helps me to avoid low blood pressure all together, so I'm always trying to eat MORE salt! It's an individual thing.
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trevor
Guest
Actually, the sodium potassium pump is not used to maintain an equilibrium. It's an active transport system thru the cell wall which pumps out 3 sodium ions for every 2 potassium ions it pumps in, resulting in a net negative charge in the cytoplasm of the cell. It's about -70 millivolts I believe. ATP powers this pump. This electrochemical gradient is maintained in order to allow cations to flow into the cell, and, if I remember correctly, is the basis for the firing of nerve cells when they are stimulated.
Also salt does cause blood pressure to increase in general. If salt ions are present in the blood for instance, this means there is less water present. And this results in water tending to flow and accumulate in the blood, causing pressure buildup. But the degree of sensitivity to salt is different in different people. The people who are supersensitive to this are the ones who develop major pressure problems associated with hypertension. Other factors are involved too. Genetics and stress tolerance for instance.
Anyway, freshman bio was about 20 yrs ago. But thanks for making me jog my memory a bit.
Trevor
Also salt does cause blood pressure to increase in general. If salt ions are present in the blood for instance, this means there is less water present. And this results in water tending to flow and accumulate in the blood, causing pressure buildup. But the degree of sensitivity to salt is different in different people. The people who are supersensitive to this are the ones who develop major pressure problems associated with hypertension. Other factors are involved too. Genetics and stress tolerance for instance.
Anyway, freshman bio was about 20 yrs ago. But thanks for making me jog my memory a bit.
Trevor
T
trevor
Guest
Actually, the sodium potassium pump is not used to maintain an equilibrium. It's an active transport system thru the cell wall which pumps out 3 sodium ions for every 2 potassium ions it pumps in, resulting in a net negative charge in the cytoplasm of the cell. It's about -70 millivolts I believe. ATP powers this pump. This electrochemical gradient is maintained in order to allow cations to flow into the cell, and, if I remember correctly, is the basis for the firing of nerve cells when they are stimulated.
Also salt does cause blood pressure to increase in general. If salt ions are present in the blood for instance, this means there is less water present. And this results in water tending to flow and accumulate in the blood, causing pressure buildup. But the degree of sensitivity to salt is different in different people. The people who are supersensitive to this are the ones who develop major pressure problems associated with hypertension. Other factors are involved too. Genetics and stress tolerance for instance.
Anyway, freshman bio was about 20 yrs ago. But thanks for making me jog my memory a bit.
Trevor
Also salt does cause blood pressure to increase in general. If salt ions are present in the blood for instance, this means there is less water present. And this results in water tending to flow and accumulate in the blood, causing pressure buildup. But the degree of sensitivity to salt is different in different people. The people who are supersensitive to this are the ones who develop major pressure problems associated with hypertension. Other factors are involved too. Genetics and stress tolerance for instance.
Anyway, freshman bio was about 20 yrs ago. But thanks for making me jog my memory a bit.
Trevor
T
trevor
Guest
Not trying to be ignorant here but some of that info is incorrect. Or did I post my reply in invisible type?
And I certainly hope you aren't going to justify high salt binges by thinking you are going to "make things right" by drinking a ton of water. It doesn't work that way.
Trevor
And I certainly hope you aren't going to justify high salt binges by thinking you are going to "make things right" by drinking a ton of water. It doesn't work that way.
Trevor