Is sodium still bad for me if I consume lots of water and have low blood pressure?

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I actually have a very rare condition and one of the effects is extremely low blood pressure. i was told by a very senior professor at a leading hospital to increase my salt intake because it would cause excess water in my body and thus prevent the low blood pressure. it also avoided the need for nasty steriods. its not good for anyone with high blood pressure as it causes an increase

try not to eat too much though - and remember everyone is different what might be good for me may not be good for you, i actually at times feel so weak that the only thing that helps is a small amount of salt in diet coke - i cant even taste it, although my boyfriend will say its extremely salty. Perhaps talk to your doctor. Keep drinking lots and lots of water, avoid coffee and tea, and you will find that the blood pressure will improve

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there is a relationship between blood pressure and water but its not direct neither inverse. their are two key players in this relationship and they are Aldosterone and ADH or anti diuretic hormone. their purpose is the same which is homeostasis of water but their way of functioning is slightly different. lets start with ADH and put this in the simplest words possible. ADH secreted by the hypothalamus of brain acts in the collecting duct of nephron. ADH is responsible for reabsorption of water from the collecting duct which then goes to the circulatory system. If the body has enough water in its system, it allows the kidney to excrete the excess water but if the water is slightly low, ADH absorbs water and drives it to the circulatory system. the second one which is Aldosterone is slightly different. Aldosterone is made from the renin-angiostenin pathway with help of ACE enzyme. Aldosterone allows the nephrons to reabsorb Na ions making it more concentrated thus hypertonic. consequently water will follow these Na to make it isotonic. its just another way to maintain proper water volume in the circulatory system. No matter how much water you drink, your body is just going to keep the amount of water it needs. the rest will be excreted by urination. the more salt you eat, which is basically more Na ions, the more water will follow it, bringing more water in circulatory system than needed which would then increase the pressure. so blood pressure is related to salt intake not water. it might interest you to know that doctors normally gives ACE inhibitor which inhibits the synthesis of ACE thereby inhibiting Aldosterone synthesis. less aldosterone, less water is reabsorbed in body which will result to less pressure. i hope it helps. Source? ammm... you'll get more of these from homeostasis part of biology books....Show more

Sodium in large amounts is always bad for you but in small amounts it is actually good for you. Sodium helps your body with water retention, basically helps to prevent dehydration....Show more

its not bad for you, but it does attract water. If you eat too much of it you gain water weight which will make you look and feel puffy and bloated....Show more

talk to your doctor because sodium is salt and to much salt can and will eventually kill you...Show more