Water minerals and health - Sodium and Potassium

8 important questions on Water minerals and health - Sodium and Potassium

What are sodium and patassium?

sodium (na+)
potassium (k+)

Cations so they have a positive charge

sodium (na) is the main cation outside of the cell
potassium(k+) is the main cation inside the cell

What is the membrane potential?

The differences in the concentrations of sodium and potassium across the cell cause a difference in charge between the inside and outside of cells

What is extracellular fluid?

This is 1/3 of the fluid present in the body and it is present outside the cell.
It can be divided in fluid in between cells (interstitial fluid) and the fluid present in the blood.
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What is an important role of sodium and potassium and how can a defect cause edema?

It plays a important role in the distribution of intracellular fluid en interstital fluid en fluid present in the blood.

Changes in concentration of sodium in the blood ans intersitial fluid may lad to excessive fluid build up in a tissue. This is called edema

How much salt is consumed and how much should we consume?

On average 10 g of salt (4g of Na) is consumed and less then 5g of salt (2g of Na) should be consumed.
But the long term goal should be 3g

What can a high sodium intake do?

It raises the blood pressure which is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. And it increases the chanse of kidney disease

What are options to lower salt concentration for the industry?

1) reduce the salt content in small steps so the consumer doesn’t notice it.
2) replace the sodium chloride by alternatives such as potassium chloride.
3) reduce the need for added salt, for instance by increasing the amount of spices (potato chips are a good example)

How can you lower salt concentration in bread and not taste it?

It turns out that the oral sensation of salt is more pronounced when the salt is layered, allowing food manufacturers to lower the salt content without compromising the salt sensation and thus the overall taste perception of the food.

The question on the page originate from the summary of the following study material:

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