Hello,
My friend and I were discussing sodium, and he pointed out that if the RDA for sodium is 500 mg, it doesn't match the recommended intake of 5 g of salt. According to the calculation of molar masses, it supposedly turns out that in a dose of 5 g of salt, there is approximately three times the RDA of sodium.
Could you please clarify how this is?
Thank you.
This truly does not correspond - the RDI (Recommended Daily Intake) of sodium is 500 mg, which is seen by the creators of this recommendation as the minimum amount necessary to maintain key biological processes in the body. In real life, you will encounter such values only exceptionally, most often in individuals with eating disorders or in the context of weight reduction diets of some athletes competing in weight categories.
The situation differs in relation to the recommended salt intake - salt (NaCl) is the richest source of sodium (containing 40%), so 5 grams represents 2000 mg of sodium, which is four times the RDI of this element. However, this limit is defined as the amount that does not support the development of health problems associated with sodium excess (strain on the kidneys, lymphatic system, cardiovascular system...), therefore it does not relate to the minimum needs of the organism.
Questions answered by
Mgr. Martin Jelinek
Lecturer and author of the educational system
Nutrition educator, lecturer, and author of the educational system and the ZOF learning application.
Mgr. Martin Jelínek has been systematically involved in nutrition education since 1999. He is the founder of ATAC, the educational company behind NutriCourses, and the author of an educational system focused on nutrition, healthy lifestyle, and the practical application of nutrition knowledge.
He graduated from the Faculty of Science at Masaryk University in Brno. Throughout his professional career, he has combined nutrition, education, and the practical application of acquired knowledge. His educational system also includes the ZOF (Zone of Optimal Functioning) learning application, where students turn theory into practical work with meal plans.
In 2007, he launched the first intake of a six-month course focused on the education of nutrition advisors. Over time, this course became the foundation for the further development of the educational system and a range of specialised courses.