A new study suggests that having sodium levels on the higher end of the “normal” range could put you at greater risk for serious heart problems later in life—even if you’re otherwise healthy.
Researchers from Bar-Ilan University in Israel found that people with higher sodium levels in their blood were more likely to develop high blood pressure and heart failure, two of the most common chronic illnesses as people age.
The research, recently published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, looked at health records from more than 407,000 adults over a 20-year period.
All participants were healthy at the start of the study and were enrolled in Leumit Healthcare Services, one of Israel’s largest health providers.
This makes the study one of the most comprehensive to date on the relationship between hydration and heart health.
Sodium is a mineral that’s regularly measured in routine blood tests.
While the standard “normal” range for blood sodium is between 135 and 146 mmol/L, this study showed that people with levels between 140 and 142 had a 13% higher risk of developing high blood pressure.
Those with levels above 143 had an even greater risk—29% higher for hypertension and 20% higher for heart failure.
Surprisingly, nearly 60% of healthy adults in the study had sodium levels in this higher-risk range, despite falling within the so-called “normal” limits.
These risks remained even after researchers took other factors into account, such as age, sex, body weight, smoking habits, existing blood pressure, and potassium levels.
The researchers excluded people who had medical conditions that affect fluid balance, such as kidney disease or diabetes, to make sure the results accurately reflected how hydration affects heart health in the general population.
Professor Jonathan Rabinowitz, the lead author of the study, said these findings highlight the importance of proper hydration—a simple habit that many people overlook.
He explained that drinking enough water can lower sodium levels in the blood and might help prevent long-term health issues like high blood pressure and heart failure.
Rabinowitz worked on the study alongside Dr. Natalia Dmitrieva from the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
As more people live longer and chronic illnesses become more common, these findings could shape future health guidelines and encourage public health efforts that promote good hydration as a basic, low-cost step toward better heart health.
If you care about heart disease, please read studies that herbal supplements could harm your heart rhythm, and how eating eggs can help reduce heart disease risk.
For more health information, please see recent studies that apple juice could benefit your heart health, and results showing yogurt may help lower the death risks in heart disease.
Source: KSR.
