# With adequate water, how much salt could you safely consume in one day?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-adequate-water-how-much-salt-could-you-safely-consume-in-one-day/785883>\
**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:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![JerrySTL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e274bd/32.png) [@JerrySTL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerrySTL)\
**Post date:** [May 6, 2017, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-adequate-water-how-much-salt-could-you-safely-consume-in-one-day/785883/21 "2017-05-06T01:14:57Z")

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A lot depends on how much you are sweating. The more you sweat, the more salt you may need.

As far as “brain swells” and other organs swelling, too little salt can cause that especially if you are drinking a lot of water.

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**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\
**Post date:** [May 6, 2017, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-adequate-water-how-much-salt-could-you-safely-consume-in-one-day/785883/22 "2017-05-06T01:32:09Z")

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I went into a “salt crisis” once upon some ER-worty crisis event in my diabetes, and for the life of me (heh) can’t remember if it was hypoglycemia or ketoacidosis. And can’t remember the elementary physiology…any help?

I suspect both provoke a sodium imbalance. On either direction of the scale?

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**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\
**Post date:** [May 6, 2017, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-adequate-water-how-much-salt-could-you-safely-consume-in-one-day/785883/23 "2017-05-06T04:31:11Z")

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> [@Leo\_Bloom](#):
>
> I went into a “salt crisis” once upon some ER-worty crisis event in my diabetes, and for the life of me (heh) can’t remember if it was hypoglycemia or ketoacidosis. And can’t remember the elementary physiology…any help?
> 
> I suspect both provoke a sodium imbalance. On either direction of the scale?

More likely it was a derangement in your potassium level, or a thing called the anion gap, which is used as a part of diagnosing metabolic acidosis, especially in diabetics.

> **[Electrolytes and Anion Gap - Testing.com](https://www.testing.com/tests/electrolytes-and-anion-gap/)**
>
> An electrolyte panel and anion gap test measures important minerals that allow the body to regulate fluids and control its acid-base balance.

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**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\
**Post date:** [May 8, 2017, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-adequate-water-how-much-salt-could-you-safely-consume-in-one-day/785883/24 "2017-05-08T21:46:34Z")

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[Why Everything We Know About Salt May Be Wrong](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/08/health/salt-health-effects.html)  
By GINA KOLATA  
NYTimes May 8, 2017

med cites in article

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