Sodium Fact Sheet

Nerve, Muscle Function Sodium, as an electrically charged mineral (electrolyte), helps facilitate muscle contraction and nerve cell transmission. With the ions of potassium and chloride, sodium also helps to control the nerve responses to a stimulator.Blood Volume Much in a similar way to maintaining hydration levels, sodium maintains our blood volume and blood pressure. Your body also has a system which moderates the sodium concentrations within the blood. If the levels get too high, the kidneys are used to excrete any excess.

Sodium Fact sheet By Jacinda Yang

Sodium is a major mineral required by our bodies for correct functionality. A number of routine body functions rely on a healthy sodium intake. Too much, however, can easily lead to unwanted side effects. These include hypertension, which in turn, can invoke further health problems. Sodium’s many functions are listed below.

AcidChloride, bicarbonate and sodium all work together to ensure the levels of acids within the body remain safe and healthy.  Sodium is most commonly known to be present in sodium chloride- table salt. Though sodium also often come in the form of processed foodstuff, it does occur naturally in a few foods: celery, buttermilk and clams etc. Sodium is also present in all the foods depicted on this fact sheet.

Fluid Balance Sodium, along with potassium, play the vital role of maintaining the water level within our bodies. As both these minerals chemically attract water to itself, they ensure the hydration both within and outside the human cells. They do this by controlling the transportation of water from one area of the body to the other. Though our bodies are equipped to fight against the overdosing of sodium, this can sometimes be overridden, which in turn, overrides this particular function. This is what causes hypertension.