Although not as controversial as discussing politics at a family gathering, hydration and electrolytes are hot button topics.

While we are generally admonished to reduce our sodium intake, particularly for cardiovascular health, this practice has proven to be largely ineffective in mitigating health issues such as hypertension (high blood pressure).

The position taken by the FDA, CDC, and American Heart Association recommends that Americans consume less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day, with an “ideal” limit of 1,500 mg per day for adults. However, broad-ranging, population-level research suggests that sodium intakes at the levels routinely suggested by the medical establishment may be far more dangerous than levels much higher than current recommendations.

A 2011 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association looking at sodium intake and cardiovascular events, such as stroke and heart attack, paints an interesting (and different) picture. The likelihood of health problems was quite high in individuals consuming less than 2g of sodium per day, the lowest rate of events was at about 5g per day of sodium intake. This is more than double what is recommended by the AHA, FDA, and CDC. What is particularly interesting is the study’s authors noted that one must get as high as 8g of sodium per day to see the same degree of problems as below 2g per day of intake.

Another study published in Preventive Medicine found that not only was sodium restriction ineffective in hypertensive patients, those who consumed lower than 2.5g per day of sodium had consistently HIGHER blood pressure than those who consumed larger amounts. It’s important to note that this study was done in a population that one could reasonably assume a reduction in sodium intake might actually be helpful - but it was not.

These studies involved a population of people with known cardiovascular disease. What if we are thinking about healthy or physically active populations, where the electrolyte requirement is even higher?

Each day it becomes more clear that recommendations for low sodium intakes are dubious even for folks who are not healthy, but this sodium-electrolyte phobia has spilled over into the world of athletics and has had profound negative effects.