To date, it is acknowledged that salt restriction can weaken sexual desire, and some of the steroid and peptide hormones involved in reproduction generate salt appetite. Sodium intake rises under environmental stress conditions, in particular, in those who are not well adapted to withstand prolonged sodium shortage. Sodium deficiency is aggravated by other nutrient imbalances, more especially during reproduction cycles (mating, gestation and lactation).
Altered sexual function has long been known as a potential problem in the management of hypertension by salt restriction as illustrated by the Trial of Antihypertensive Interventions and Management (TAIM) [26]. Adding a low-sodium diet to either chlorthalidone or atenolol treatment did not improve blood pressure control. More disturbing, however, were more frequent complaints of fatigue and sexual impotence among patients assigned to severe sodium restriction (<70 mmol/day)
Low salt intake has been incriminated in the pathogenesis of the ‘chronic fatigue syndrome’ (CFS), a disorder characterized by profound disabling fatigue, including sexual inactivity. Symptoms and signs include impaired concentration, attention or memory abilities and reduced libido and orthostatic hypotension (Table 1). Therapy consists in prescribing increased dietary salt or fludrocortisone to prevent abnormal reflex initiation. Holaigah et al. [28] recommended patients with CFS not to curtail their dietary salt intake, some of them being addicted to self-imposed sodium restriction.
Stycket om restriktion av mat bland jägar-samlarfolk för att påverka feritilitet är intressant
Low salt intake in hunter–gatherer populations and salt wasting: implications for female fertility
Although sodium intake is fundamental for their survival, pre-agricultural societies differ in the access they have to salt and in their dedication to it. In many hunter–gatherer societies, food taboos dictate the diet of female individuals. These taboos are often to be respected throughout the most critical reproductive years of their life. Most of the food-related beliefs concern meat although salt, corn and fat are sometimes prohibited for ritual reasons. Australian aboriginal societies restrict food for pregnant and lactating women [30]. Aranda women cannot eat lizards until they have a child. Maternal malnutrition influences birth spacing and increases the risk of premature death (abortion) or low birth weight in neonates.
Some 50 years ago, Robinson [44] investigated the impact of a high- versus low-salt diet in the early period of pregnancy in a large cohort of women. He found a lower incidence of oedema, toxaemia and bleeding during pregnancy and of perinatal death in those with high salt intake. Giardina et al. [45] examined the impact of a low-salt diet on arterial function in pregnancy. They observed an increase in vascular reactivity that adds to the concern about adverse effects of sodium restriction. Therefore, any reduction of salt consumption during pregnancy should be carefully monitored, especially with respect to the potential risk of aggravating pregnancy-induced hypertension.
http://ndt.oxfordjournals.org/content/23/7/2154.full
2024.11.22 - 16:10:50
