Why is sodium important to the human body?
All body fluids contain sodium, including blood, and its function is to stabilize the balance of fluids within the body. The human body must be able to regulate the level of sodium in the blood, which it does via the excretion of sodium through the kidneys and into the urine. Sodium also helps to generate electrical impulses in nerves and muscles, enabling the uptake of nutrients. The human body requires almost as much salt as it does water. Even so, salt should never be added to an infant’s diet because their kidneys cannot excrete the excess of sodium. In the words of Alicia Moag-Stahlberg, a research nutritionist at Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago and a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association: “You cannot exist without sodium, but the amount we need is minor.” Sodium in excess has been associated with an increased risk of developing stomach cancer and adverse effects on the kidneys, especially if there is some underlying abnormality. Too much sodium in th
