MedicalXpress: excess salt can cause irreversible kidney damage

A study has found that adding salt to food may increase the risk of chronic kidney disease, reports MedicalXpress.

The kidneys are responsible for removing sodium from the body, and the excess sodium associated with excess salt in the diet not only raises blood pressure but also increases the risk of chronic kidney disease - a decrease in the kidneys' ability to filter waste and toxins from the blood.

Sodium is found in a lot of processed foods and condiments. Therefore, it is very easy to get excessive amounts of sodium. You need to read food labels and limit your intake of pure salt to a teaspoon a day or less.

"Sometimes you can either stop or reverse some of the damage that happens with chronic kidney disease. The longer this process goes on, the more severe the damage, the less likely it is to return to healthy kidneys. In that case, the patient may need dialysis or a kidney transplant," noted Mayo Clinic nephrologist, Ivan Porter II.

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