Is the sodium in softened water harmful to people whose doctors have placed them on restrictive salt diets?
Much depends on and individual’s medical situation and on the strictness of the diet itself since most drinking water, even when softened, would be “very low sodium” or “low sodium” as defined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Where the patient has been placed on a sodium-restrictive diet below 1,500 milligrams of total sodium intake per day, he/she should drink neither hard nor softened water. Under these conditions, the patient should drink demineralized water, distilled water, water treated by reverse osmosis, or water known to be free of sodium for drinking and for the cooking of his or her foods. Such patients are commonly hospitalized. In establishing a restricted-salt diet for patients, physicians should not overlook the fact that even hard water may contain appreciable amounts of sodium. To determine the amount, a complete analysis of the water is necessary.
