# With adequate water, how much salt could you safely consume in one day? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 4, 2017, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-adequate-water-how-much-salt-could-you-safely-consume-in-one-day/785883 "2017-05-04T23:55:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2017, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-adequate-water-how-much-salt-could-you-safely-consume-in-one-day/785883/1 "2017-05-04T23:55:14Z")
Body mass, etc., all comes into play, so - using myself as an example, I weigh 145 pounds. Assuming I drink as much water as is needed to cope, how much sodium could my body handle in one day before kidneys fail, brain swells, or something of the like? 6,000mg? (Not in one sitting. Let’s say, 3-6 sittings.) Ah, typo in thread title. Could mods please edit. ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2017, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-adequate-water-how-much-salt-could-you-safely-consume-in-one-day/785883/2 "2017-05-05T00:01:13Z")
The answer depends significantly on how much potassium you also consume. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2017, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-adequate-water-how-much-salt-could-you-safely-consume-in-one-day/785883/3 "2017-05-05T00:12:36Z")
More potassium = higher salt tolerance? Or is it like a quota, where the more potassium you’ve consumed, the less processing power your body has left for the sodium? ---
**Author:** ![Weisshund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba8739/32.png) [@Weisshund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weisshund)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2017, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-adequate-water-how-much-salt-could-you-safely-consume-in-one-day/785883/4 "2017-05-05T00:16:00Z")
What is adfequate water? ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2017, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-adequate-water-how-much-salt-could-you-safely-consume-in-one-day/785883/5 "2017-05-05T00:16:44Z")
FYI: LD50 of sodium chloride is 3g/kg, so for an 80kg man (about 176 lbs), that’s a little over half a pound (8.4 oz). ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2017, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-adequate-water-how-much-salt-could-you-safely-consume-in-one-day/785883/6 "2017-05-05T00:16:53Z")
> [@Weisshund](#): > > What is adfequate water? Generic Aquafina. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2017, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-adequate-water-how-much-salt-could-you-safely-consume-in-one-day/785883/7 "2017-05-05T00:18:06Z")
need answer fast? ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2017, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-adequate-water-how-much-salt-could-you-safely-consume-in-one-day/785883/8 "2017-05-05T00:24:52Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > More potassium = higher salt tolerance? Or is it like a quota, where the more potassium you’ve consumed, the less processing power your body has left for the sodium? More the former than the latter. It’s a matter of keeping your electrolytes in balance. Too much of either sodium or potassium without enough of the other is bad, very bad. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2017, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-adequate-water-how-much-salt-could-you-safely-consume-in-one-day/785883/9 "2017-05-05T00:24:55Z")
My WAG would be something like 10 grams in one day. It’s not unheard of for some to eat as much as 6 grams in a day safely\*, so I’d guess that the maximum amount in one day with no harm would be even more. \*Safely in the short term. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2017, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-adequate-water-how-much-salt-could-you-safely-consume-in-one-day/785883/10 "2017-05-05T00:25:26Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > FYI: LD50 of sodium chloride is 3g/kg, so for an 80kg man (about 176 lbs), that’s a little over half a pound (8.4 oz). Yeah but that’s to kill fully half of a population. For something to kill even just 1-2% of a population would already qualify as dangerous. So maybe 1 ounce? ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2017, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-adequate-water-how-much-salt-could-you-safely-consume-in-one-day/785883/11 "2017-05-05T00:27:24Z")
> [@boffking](#): > > The answer depends significantly on how much potassium you also consume. Yes but surely potassium only negates that Na somewhat? Edit: Thanks **Dtilque**. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2017, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-adequate-water-how-much-salt-could-you-safely-consume-in-one-day/785883/12 "2017-05-05T01:22:45Z")
**Moderator Note** > [@Velocity](#): > > Ah, typo in thread title. Could mods please edit. The f-ing typo is fixed (there was an extraneous F in one of the words). ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2017, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-adequate-water-how-much-salt-could-you-safely-consume-in-one-day/785883/13 "2017-05-05T01:54:25Z")
Wasn’t it supposed to be **`antiquated`** … ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2017, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-adequate-water-how-much-salt-could-you-safely-consume-in-one-day/785883/14 "2017-05-05T03:35:35Z")
I’d also think that temprature/humidity, fitness level, & exertion amount play into as you would consume more if you’re exerting yourself & sweating it out vs. sitting sedentary in the AC. > [@Ambivalid](#): > > My WAG would be something like 10 grams in one day. It’s not unheard of for some to eat as much as 6 grams in a day safely\*, so I’d guess that the maximum amount in one day with no harm would be even more. > \*Safely in the short term. A Monster Thickburger & large fry is over 4000mg; that’s just one meal & doesn’t include a drink &/or dessert. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2017, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-adequate-water-how-much-salt-could-you-safely-consume-in-one-day/785883/15 "2017-05-05T12:03:49Z")
Far better to stay well below a possibly fatal amount of K than assume that Na might save you . ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2017, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-adequate-water-how-much-salt-could-you-safely-consume-in-one-day/785883/16 "2017-05-05T12:25:17Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Yeah but that’s to kill fully half of a population. For something to kill even just 1-2% of a population would already qualify as dangerous. > > So maybe 1 ounce? I’m not sure what you mean. Do I need to explain what LD50 is to you? ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2017, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-adequate-water-how-much-salt-could-you-safely-consume-in-one-day/785883/17 "2017-05-05T12:45:25Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > I’m not sure what you mean. Do I need to explain what LD50 is to you? The amount of a substance needed to kill half the test subjects–exactly what he said. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2017, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-adequate-water-how-much-salt-could-you-safely-consume-in-one-day/785883/18 "2017-05-05T16:48:02Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > > [@Velocity](#): > > > > Yeah but that’s to kill fully half of a population. For something to kill even just 1-2% of a population would already qualify as dangerous. > > > > So maybe 1 ounce? > > I’m not sure what you mean. Do I need to explain what LD50 is to you? What he means is that the LD50 is too high a quantity. He’s asking for the quantity an ordinary person can \*safely \*consume. So not the LD50; instead he’s looking for the LD01 or LD0.01 or maybe even lower. If \*any \*people are dying or permanently injured, that’s too high a dose for his purposes. That safe dose would be a much smaller number than the LD50 which you rightly say is 8.4 oz for somebody of that weight. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2017, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-adequate-water-how-much-salt-could-you-safely-consume-in-one-day/785883/19 "2017-05-06T00:31:02Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > I’m not sure what you mean. Do I need to explain what LD50 is to you? What **Darren Garrison** and \*\*LSLGuy \*\*said - the LD50 for salt might be 8.4 ounces for an averaged-sized man, but that’s to kill fully half of a test population, which is already extremely lethal. Any dosage that killed even just one percent of a test population of humans would be considered dangerous in society. So if we scaled it down to an LD01, maybe it would be 1-2 ounces of salt in one day? Also even if 8.4 ounces of salt only killed half of the test population, the other half wouldn’t be getting off scot-free; they’d probably suffer severe physical harm. So about 100% of people who ate 8.4 ounces of salt would be in for a very bad time. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2017, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-adequate-water-how-much-salt-could-you-safely-consume-in-one-day/785883/20 "2017-05-06T00:49:31Z")
Since neural signals propagate along a K+/Na- battery, I would assume that the body must be splitting the sodium out of the salt, which leaves over that nasty halogen. How does the body isolate the chlorine for removal? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-adequate-water-how-much-salt-could-you-safely-consume-in-one-day/785883.md?page=2)