We are linked to the ocean in some ways, since seawater and blood are made up of the same kinds of salt in very similar concentrations. The body needs to maintain this equilibrium by various means. The more water we consume, the more salts are needed and the combined excess get passed out during the normal course of things.

While the Percent Daily Value of sodium for food labels is based on 2,400 mg, Americans consume about 3,500 mg/day of sodium; men more, women less. The very large percentage of the population consumes 1,150 to 5,750 mg/day.

With so much biased advertising these days from marketing of low sodium products, we lose sight of the fact that the lack of salt in the diet is actually more harmful than a bit too much salt. There is no evidence that reduced dietary sodium intake has any benefits for the general population.

An eight-year study of a New York City hypertensive population stratified for sodium intake levels found those on low-salt diets had more than four times as many heart attacks as those on normal-sodium diets – the exact opposite of what the “salt hypothesis” would have predicted. (1995)

Reference: Salt and Good Health - SaltWorks

Thousands of Napoleon’s troops died during the French retreat from Moscow due to inadequate wound healing and lowered resistance to disease - the results of salt deficiency.

Reference: History of Salt - Cargill Salt