Mayo Clinic Minute: Can extra salt hurt your kidneys?

Sodium is a mineral that your body needs to function well. When you combine sodium with the mineral, chloride, the two make table salt.

Sodium is added to many processed foods, including packaged and frozen meals. Many recipes call for salt in the ingredients, and many people add table salt to their food for flavor. But according to Dr. Ivan Porter II, a Mayo Clinic nephrologist, adding too much salt to your diet is not a good thing. A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that adding salt to your food can increase your risk of chronic kidney disease.

Your kidneys balance the amount of sodium in your body. If you're getting too much, it builds up in your blood. Your heart works harder to pump and increases blood pressure, raising the risk of heart disease, stroke and kidney disease.

Mayo Clinic's Dr. Ivan Porter says sodium is added to most processed foods. It's also in a lot of condiments.

The recommended daily limit of sodium is 2,300 milligrams, or about 1 teaspoon. Dr. Porter recommends reading food labels. And cut back on the saltshaker by using salt-free seasonings.
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