The Benefits Sodium Offers to The Body

by Toluwani Oyesola August 14, 2025

Sodium is an element that occurs naturally in many foods and can also be added to other during manufacturing process. When it comes to food the most common source is salt and is used as a flavoring agent at homes and restaurants. However, sodium is not the same as salt, as salt is made of a combination of both sodium and chloride, with only 40% of sodium.

Sources of Sodium

Some food in which sodium can be found naturally includes

Animal Products: Buttermilk, milk, eggs, meats, cottage cheese, poultry, smoked fish.
Plant Products: Nuts, mozzarella, olives, pickles, apples, cabbage, banana, and carrot.
Other foods: Celery, beets, bread, bagels.

It is commonly added in processed food such as biscuits, ice creams, pizzas and canned foods.

Recommended International Units (IUs)

Healthy Adults 1500-2300 mg daily.

Benefits of Sodium

Electrolyte: It is a mineral that helps to create electrically charged ions in the body and maintain balance of electrolyte in the body

Blood Pressure: It helps to maintain the volume and pressure of blood in the body.

Fluid Balance: It helps to maintain balance in the amount of fluid inside and outside the body's cells.

Nerve and Muscles: It plays a role in how the nerves and muscles of the body function. It also helps to relieve muscle cramps by restoring electrolytes.

Sunstroke: It can help to prevent sunstroke (a condition caused by the failure of the heat regulating system in the human body as a result of continuous exposure to very high temperatures) by replacing the loss of essential electrolytes.

Brain Development: It helps with the development of the brain and improving the functioning of the brain.

Skincare: it helps to prevent early aging by defending the body against free radicals.

Cons of Toxicity

High levels of sodium in the body is not very common as the kidney helps to regulate sodium levels by adjusting the amount excreted through urine. Some results of high levels of sodium includes:

High blood pressure: It can result in damage in the blood vessels and arteries when chronically elevated. This is even more common in those with already elevated blood pressure levels.
Stroke
Heart Failure
Kidney Disease.
Stomach Cancer.
Hypertension.
Swelling of the neural tissues and nerves.
Increase in the risk of having lung infection.
Cerebral edema and even, Coma.

Signs of Deficiency

Deficiency in sodium as a result of diet is very rare even with very-low sodium diets. However, some symptoms of deficiency includes;

Diarrhoea,
Vomiting,
Headache,
Low Blood Pressure,
Weight loss,
Lethargy,
Confusion,
Dizziness,
Muscular Irritability,
Weakness, and even
Shut down of the nervous system.

Overall, caution should be taken when using sodium to avoid using too much and causing adverse effects to the body. The amount of salt taken in should also be modest as too much can also result in adverse effects such as high blood pressure.