How to Optimize Your Sodium to Potassium Ratio for Longevity

Get Your Life Back in Rhythm

How to Optimize Your Sodium to Potassium Ratio for Longevity Could the secret to health and longevity come down to the ratio of how much sodium to potassium you eat each day? In this article, I will teach you how to optimize your sodium to potassium ratio for health and longevity. David's Experience David recently came to see me as a new patient for atrial fibrillation. Like most patients, he wanted to know how he developed this condition. As we discussed his diet, it was quickly apparent what the problem was. David was living on the Standard American Diet. For breakfast, it was typically cereal or bacon and eggs. Lunch was a slice of pizza or a deli sandwich, a bag of chips, and a diet Coke. For dinner, it was ribs, pasta, or a cheeseburger. Of course, lunch and dinner were always topped off with a cookie or some other treat. If he was honest, on a good day he was lucky to eat one or two servings of a vegetable and fruit. For readers of this blog, a diet like this seems almost unbelievable. However, this is what most Americans eat each day. Quickly pulling out my calculator, I estimated that his sodium to potassium ratio was at least 2 to 1. In other words, he ate two milligrams of sodium for every one milligram of potassium. If he wanted any chance of naturally treating his atrial fibrillation, he would need to completely reverse this ratio to 1 mg of sodium for every 2 mg of potassium in his diet. 3 Bad Things that Happen from a High Sodium to Potassium Ratio If your dietary sodium to potassium ratio is high, then you are putting yourself at high risk for a stroke, heart disease, or hypertension. Indeed, one large study from Japan showed that a high sodium to potassium ratio resulted in up to a 57% increased risk of stroke, 39% more heart disease, and at least twice the risk for high blood pressure. The Sodium to Potassium Ratio Trumps Sodium or Potassium Intake Alone The push by the American Heart Association to get Americans to eat less salt may be misplaced. Indeed, based on a study of 2,974 Americans, the sodium to potassium ratio may better predict your risk of a stroke, heart disease, or hypertension than the actual number of milligrams of sodium or potassium alone that you eat. Thus, rather than restricting salt, we should instead focus on eating more potassium-rich foods. Good News for Salt Lovers As long as you are getting your salt from the salt shaker, rather than processed, prepared, or fast foods, then studies show that you can eat crazy amounts of salt and not put yourself at risk provided the milligrams of potassium you consume is higher than the milligrams of sodium you eat. What is the Optimal Sodium to Potassium Ratio? In a perfect world, people would get at least 1 mg of sodium for every 2 mg of potassium they eat. By eating this way, their sodium to potassium ratio would be 1 to 2. Considering that the average American consumes 3,300 mg of sodium and 2,600 mg of potassium daily, this ratio of 1 to 0.7 is far below minimally acceptable levels. Interestingly, studies of our paleolithic ancestors have shown that their sodium to potassium ratio was somewhere in the range of 1 to 16. One study even showed that among the primitive Yanomamo Indians in South America, who do not eat salt but do eat large amounts of bananas, the sodium to potassium ratio was in the range of 1 to 100. Best 3 Ways to Lower Your Sodium Intake Contrary to popular belief, you don't have to get rid of your salt shaker to reduce your sodium intake. In fact, I wish that blog readers would use their salt shakers more as that would indicate that they are probably eating more home-cooked meals. The real enemy when it comes to sodium intake is processed, prepared, or fast foods. Based on my calculations, at least 80% of sodium comes from these three sources. Thus, to reduce your sodium, you need to eat more real food at home and less fake foods on the run.