The reference range for sodium is usually listed as 135 to 146 mmol/L. However, the optimal range for sodium should be more than 140 mmol/L.

After testing tens of thousands of patients, I have found that the vast majority of people are sodium-deficient, with levels below 140 mmol/L.

Rarely have I seen a patient who has a high sodium level.

Unfortunately, sodium has been vilified by conventional medicine and the media.

We have been conditioned to believe that we should lower our salt (and, therefore sodium) intake in order to decrease blood pressure.

However, studies do not show that lowering dietary salt intake will lower blood pressure significantly. In fact, lowering dietary salt to the levels recommended by the American Heart Association could be dangerous.

The American Heart Association recommends that Americans “consume less than 1,500 mg/day [of sodium].” That is the equivalent of about one-half teaspoon of salt.

No one can thrive on that little sodium.

What the powers that be don’t realize is that sodium is a vital, essential nutrient for our body. It drives energy-producing cells, helps nerves transmit impulses, improves muscle function, and holds water in the body.

Furthermore, studies of low-sodium diets continually fail to show any great improvement in blood pressure, or any other health benefit.

A Cochrane Review of seven randomized, controlled trials found that salt reduction resulted in a reduced systolic blood pressure of just 1 to 4 mmHg.

The authors noted that there was “. . . no strong evidence of any effect of salt reduction in cardiovascular disease morbidity in people with normal blood pressure and raised blood pressure at baseline.”

Another study found low-sodium diets associated with a fivefold increase in the number of deaths.

In addition, low-sodium diets predispose a person to deficiencies of calcium, magnesium, and potassium, and have been found to deplete B vitamins as well.