Too much sodium in your diet can cause problems, especially with high blood pressure. Not getting enough sodium may also cause issues, like increasing resistance to insulin and raising LDL cholesterol levels.

Sodium is an important electrolyte and the main component of table salt. Too much sodium has been linked to high blood pressure, and health organizations recommend limiting your intake. Most current guidelines recommend eating less than 2,300 mg per day. Some even go as low as 1,500 mgTrusted Source per day.

Even though too much sodium causes problems, eating too little can be just as unhealthy. Here are 6 little-known dangers of restricting sodium too much.

This article discusses sodium restriction in the general population. If you have been prescribed a low sodium diet by your healthcare professional, or need to adhere to a low sodium diet to manage a condition, the following information may not apply to you.

A few studies have linked low sodium diets to increased insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is when your body’s cells don’t respond well to signals from the hormone insulin, leading to higher insulin and blood sugar levels.

Insulin resistance is believed to be a major driver of many serious diseases, including type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

It’s true that reducing your sodium intake can reduce your blood pressure. However, blood pressure is only a risk factor for disease. What’s really significant are hard endpoints like heart attacks or death.

Several observational studies have looked at the effects of low sodium diets on heart attacks, strokes, and the risk of death, with mixed results.

Heart failure is when the heart cannot pump enough blood around the body to meet its needs for blood and oxygen. This doesn’t mean that your heart stops working altogether, but it’s still a very serious health issue.

Interestingly, low sodium diets have been linked to an increased risk of death in people with heart failure. One older review from 2011 found that for people with heart failure, limiting sodium intake increased the risk of dying.

In fact, the effect was strong — people who restricted their sodium intake had a 160% higher risk of death. This is concerning, as people with heart failure are often told to limit their sodium intake.

Yet, the results were strongly influenced by only one study, so more research is needed.

An older study with 13,000 participants and a 20-year follow-up found that people with diabetes have an increased riskTrusted Source of heart attack and stroke.

While some older studies have found an association between low sodium intake and an increased risk of death among those with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, other older studies have found that higher sodium intake is a risk for death.

Hyponatremia is a condition characterized by low levels of sodium in the blood. Its symptoms are similar to those caused by dehydration. If the condition is severe, the brain may swellTrusted Source, which can lead to headaches, seizures, coma, and rarely death.

Certain individuals, like older adults, have a higher risk of hyponatremia. That’s because older adults are more likely to have an illness or take medication that can reduce sodium levels in the blood.

Athletes, especially those who participate in long-distance endurance events, are also at high risk of developing exercise-associated hyponatremia. In their case, it’s usually caused by drinking too much water and failing to replace the sodium that’s lost through sweat.

The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) recommends a sodium intake of less than 2,300 mg per day, corresponding to 5.8 grams of salt. Studies suggest that there’s a J-shaped curve when it comes to the effects of sodium. Too much may be harmful, but too little can also have serious consequences. The lowest risk of health issues and death seems to be somewhere in between.

Controversially, some researchers have suggested an intake of 3,000–5,000 mg of sodium per day is considered optimal. This exceeds the maximum daily intake recommended by NAM, but it’s similar to what the average person already eats in the United States.

This amounts to 7.5–12.5 grams of table salt per day, which equals 1.5–2.5 teaspoons per day (salt is only 40% sodium, so multiply sodium by 2.5 to find the amount of salt).

However, many people may benefit from restricted sodium intake, such as those with salt-sensitive high blood pressure. If you have a medical condition that requires a diet low in sodium, or if your healthcare provider has advised you to limit your intake, by all means, continue to do so.

However, if you’re a healthy person trying to stay healthy, there’s no good evidence that following a low sodium diet will improve your health. Most of the excess sodium people eat comes from processed, packaged foods — stuff you shouldn’t be eating much of anyway.

Adding some salt to your healthy foods to improve their flavor is both safe and healthy — and can make your diet much more pleasurable.