Salt and weight loss

[Janet]

I recently heard that salt can actually help you lose weight? I'm having a hard time believing this is true. Isn't salt kind-of the enemy when you're trying to shrink down? I always thought that the more salt you ate the more water you retained and the more puff/bloated you look with all the excess water weight. Plus, isn't salt not good for your health? Has anyone else heard about this and, if so, can you explain why salt is supposed to be good for weight loss?

[Bethie]

The salt can help you lose weight thing is a misinterpretation of the results of a very limited study. It was performed on a small handful of people training as astronauts. It showed that salt makes you hungry, not thirsty. At the end of the report, the researchers speculated that it could play a role in weight loss but that further study would be needed. The media ran with that and now people are convinced that salt helps you lose weight. They don't know that. They only guessed.

[Whirlybird]

I wonder what they're going to find out about that when they do research it because I bet that will start soon

[Freddy]

I wonder what they're going to find out about that when they do research it because I bet that will start soon

Yeah, I'm kinda curious about that, too, Whirlybird. Honestly, I can't imagine it can lead to weight loss for the average person only cause I think most of us eat way too much salt and I know that anytime I overdo it I blow up like a balloon!

[enviroTodd]

I doubt it would do enough to produce measurable weight loss particularly because that salt will still cause water retention regardless of how it affects the body in terms of fat. So even if you reduced fat levels, you'll be far more likely to experience bloat.

[M-Stark334]

I doubt it would do enough to produce measurable weight loss particularly because that salt will still cause water retention regardless of how it affects the body in terms of fat. So even if you reduced fat levels, you'll be far more likely to experience bloat.

That's exactly what I think enviroTodd. I mean no matter if it's good for you or not, the problem with salt is that it makes you bloated...you'll still have the water weight problem.

[BabyButtons]

I doubt it would do enough to produce measurable weight loss particularly because that salt will still cause water retention regardless of how it affects the body in terms of fat. So even if you reduced fat levels, you'll be far more likely to experience bloat.

I agree enviroTodd. I have heard that Sea Salt and a few other natural salt sources like baking soda and so on can be better sources of salt than table salt in terms of your health and maintaining proper sodium levels in your body (because a certain amount of sodium is essential to your diet and health), but honestly most of us get wayy to much salt in our diet and even if you did ingest the better kind, over doing it won't be good for you (even if it does reduce fat) and you are likely to blow up like a balloon, too. I would have a hard time trusting any research that tells me upping my sodium is going to help me cut down on fat.

[enviroTodd]

I agree enviroTodd. I have heard that Sea Salt and a few other natural salt sources like baking soda and so on can be better sources of salt than table salt in terms of your health and maintaining proper sodium levels in your body (because a certain amount of sodium is essential to your diet and health), but honestly most of us get wayy to much salt in our diet and even if you did ingest the better kind, over doing it won't be good for you (even if it does reduce fat) and you are likely to blow up like a balloon, too. I would have a hard time trusting any research that tells me upping my sodium is going to help me cut down on fat.

That's precisely it. Yes, there are better versions that we can choose, but when it all comes down to it, our diets are typically overloaded with sodium so it's just as important to think about cutting back as it is to think about the format the salt is taking. Just like with good fats and bad fats, there are good salts and not-as-good salts. But when all is said and done, we eat too much salt and too much fat - good or not. So we need to cut back.

[Janet]

The salt can help you lose weight thing is a misinterpretation of the results of a very limited study. It was performed on a small handful of people training as astronauts. It showed that salt makes you hungry, not thirsty. At the end of the report, the researchers speculated that it could play a role in weight loss but that further study would be needed. The media ran with that and now people are convinced that salt helps you lose weight. They don't know that. They only guessed.

Oh! Well that clears that up. that makes a lot of sense. Thanks for sharing this Bethie. I was really wondering how it could be possible for salt to be helpful considering we all get way too much of it and every time I overload on salt I blow up like a balloon!