Sodium
Requirements:
- RDA: not established
- Daily Optimal Intake: 1.1 - 3.3 gm./day for adults - this may
still be too high
Supplement Forms:
Food Sources:
- Bacon
- Smoked fish
- Cheeses
- Processed foods
- Anchovy paste
- Soy sauce
Signs and Symptoms of Deficiency:
Causes of Deficiency:
- Being a vegan who exercises and is exposed to extreme
heat
Adverse Reactions and Toxicity:
- Infants: formula with high salt also may have excessive sodium
bicarbonate for salicylate poisoning
- Symptoms:
Subarachnoid hemorrhage
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Hypertension
Kidney tubule shrinkage
Drug/Nutrient Interaction:
- High sodium increases calcium loss through urine
- Chlorpropamide may lead to hyponatremia
- Amitriptylene may lead to a relative hyponatremia
- Captopril may lead to hyponatremia
- Carbamazepine may lead to dilutional relative hyponatremia
- Cyclophosphamide may lead to hyponatremia
- Diazoxide, causing an increase in proximal tubular resorption, may cause hypernatremia
- Neomycin decreases sodium absorption
- Spirononlactone may lead to hyponatremia
- Thiazides may lead to hyponatremia
- Tolbutamide may lead to hyponatremia
- Vincristine may lead to hyponatremia
- Colchicine may lead to hyponatremia
- Mannitol, causing blood volume expansion, may lead to a relative hyponatremia
- Carbenicillin may lead to hypernatremia
Biochemical Functions:
- Regulates fluid osmolality
- Required for acid-base balance
- Required for maintenance of electrical activity
- Regulates fluid movement into cells
Clinical Indications:
- May be useful in some cases of hypotension
Copyright 1998 - 2008 by L. Vicky Crouse, ND and James S. Reiley, ND. All rights reserved (ISSN 1527-0661).