What it does in the body
- Extracellular fluid volume regulation
- Nerve impulse conduction (action potentials)
- Muscle contraction
- Nutrient absorption (sodium-glucose cotransporter)
- Acid-base balance maintenance
How much you need (Daily Value)
| Group | Recommended | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Adult male | 1500 mg (AI), <2300 mg (UL) | AHA/WHO |
| Adult female | 1500 mg (AI), <2300 mg (UL) | AHA/WHO |
| Pregnancy | 1500 mg (AI) | WHO |
| Children | 800-1000 mg (1-3y), 1000-1200 mg (4-8y), 1500 mg (9-18y) | NIH/IOM |
| Older adults | 1200-1500 mg (AI) | NIH/IOM |
Richest food sources
| Food | Amount | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Table salt | 38758 mg per 100g (sodium) | global |
| Soy sauce | 5493 mg per 100ml | East Asia |
| Miso paste | 3728 mg per 100g | Japan |
| Parmesan cheese | 1529 mg per 100g | Europe |
| Olives (canned) | 1556 mg per 100g | Mediterranean |
| Pickled vegetables | 1208 mg per 100g | global |
| Bread (white) | 490 mg per 100g | global |
| Fish sauce | 7851 mg per 100ml | Southeast Asia |
In our food database, per 100 g
Highest among our free foods — open the Food Explorer to compare.
If you don't get enough
Mild: Headache, nausea, fatigue, muscle cramps (Na 130-135 mEq/L)
Moderate: Confusion, lethargy, vomiting, gait disturbance (Na 120-130 mEq/L)
Severe: Seizures, coma, brain herniation, death (Na <120 mEq/L)
Time to onset: Acute hyponatremia: hours (especially with water intoxication). Chronic: develops over >48 hours and may be better tolerated.
Too much
Upper limit: 2300 mg/day (AHA recommends 1500 mg for most adults)
Hypertension, edema, heart failure exacerbation, stroke, kidney damage, gastric cancer risk. Acute hypernatremia causes thirst, confusion, seizures.
How well you absorb it
Nearly 100% absorption from GI tract regardless of form
Helped by: Not applicable — sodium is almost completely absorbed
Hindered by: Not applicable — absorption is not significantly inhibited
Cooking & storage
Sodium content increases dramatically with salting, curing, brining, and use of soy sauce or fish sauce. Rinsing canned foods can reduce sodium by 23-45%. Processed foods account for 70-75% of sodium in Western diets.
Nutrisize Health totals every nutrient from what you actually eat, against targets set for your age and sex, and flags what's short — across 4,995 foods, on your device.
