Another Problem with Processed Foods—the Sodium-Potassium Ratio
The subject this week is processed foods and in the post below (Limiting Food Processing) we spoke of the problem of excess phosphate in such foods compared to real food. Phosphates added to processed foods extend the shelf life and tastefulness. Unfortunately, they have the opposite effect on your life—you’re likely to die sooner.
If this wasn’t bad enough, there’s a similar issue with sodium and potassium. Both are essential to your survival but you need them in the right ratio. Basically, eating real food (vegetables, fruits, whole grains, a little meat) gives you the right ratio. Eating processed foods gives you too much sodium and too little potassium. The sodium comes from added salt—salt (sodium chloride) is the cheapest way to flavor food but too much is a problem.
If your sodium-potassium ratio is high that’s bad because you get too much sodium and too little potassium—a common problem in the modern diet. Simply put, getting more potassium (from whole foods) reduces risk of death but eating more sodium (diet high in processed foods) increases your risk of death.
How bad is the risk? A 2011 study (discussed here) looked at 12,267 people in the NHANES III data base and compared the sodium-potassium ratio of their diet to their risk of death over a 14.8 year average follow-up. The highest sodium-potassium ratio quartile (top 1/4 of the group) was compared to the lowest quartile. Results were scary: being in the highest quartile gave you a 46% higher risk of premature death from all causes.
The data was especially bad for the risk of heart attack—you had over twice the risk (115% higher) if you were in the highest sodium-potassium ratio group. So one more reason to eat food as close as practical to how it was first created, and to slash the purchase of packaged food. Feed your family real food!
Thursday, November 21, 2013 at 7:24AM | by Skip Hellewell | 3 Comments | 6 References | Share Article | Email Article 
Reader Comments (3)
I'm trying. It's so hard!
Interesting. I hadn't thought about this aspect before.
Hi Skip, I recently saw a graphic that showed dietary sources of sodium in the US. Surprisingly, the largest source of sodium was from yeast breads. I wouldn't have guessed it. I'm not sure about the sodium-potassium ratio in yeast breads, but I just thought that might be worth sharing!