I was taking a blood pressure medicine to help with hypertension, and it was HCTZ(Diuretic). I have been taken off this medicine due to good blood pressure control, and I was wondering if anybody knows anything about a low sodium level decreasing your ability to add lean mass.

quote:

low sodium level decreasing your ability to add lean mass

In a way, yes. It has been linked to insulin resistance and T2 Diabetes.

Use sea salt and avoid other forms of sodium. NaCl is so important a lot of people are afraid of salt. Get your iodine from other sources and sea salt will provide a lot more trace minerals. Monitor blood pressure if adding more sodium.

I posted an excellent article link a while back. Search under my posts for it. I probably mentioned something about sodium in the thread title or possible sea salt.

But frank is right.

I can't find your post. I searched but couldn't come up with it. What kind of effect does Sea salt have on water retension and what kind of taste does the salt have?

A link to another link, but I copied and pasted:
The “Sodium - Anabolic”Connection!
One of the most powerful anabolic stimuli
may be sitting right on your dinner table.

Bodybuilders are constantly fed conflicting information regarding nutritional
intake. This information, dished out mainly by the magazines, is primarily
manipulated to sell you supplements. Yes, the magazines do have a vested
interest in supplements. More space is devoted to marketing their
supplements, either through articles or ads (in many cases these are one in the
same), than is devoted to non-promotional productive training and nutritional
information. Sad but true. Unfortunately you have to learn to see through the
monetarily motivated ********.

The Sodium Dilemma

As a whole, bodybuilders who think they are serious about their diet, generally
cut out all extra sodium intake. Most are under the false notion that sodium
will make them fat, cause them to retain extra water (as if this were a bad
thing), cause high blood pressure or is just overall an unhealthy mineral. None
of which is true. First off, sodium does not cause hypertension. This is a
disease sodium can aggravate but not manifest. Secondly, sodium will not
make you fat in any way, shape, or form. Thirdly, sodium is an essential
nutrient your body can’t live without. Many functions in the body are
"sodium-dependant". They require the presence of sodium. Many amino acids
are transported by sodium carriers.

Just recently the results of a major 10 year study were released vindicating
sodium as the unhealthy mineral. In fact this study revealed that individuals
with higher sodium intake had a lower mortality rate. That's right. Those that
consumed a diet low in sodium actually died at an earlier age than those with
higher sodium intakes. That pretty much throws a serious monkey wrench into
the generally accepted thinking on sodium now doesn't it?

With these fallacies out of the way let's see how we can manipulate our
sodium intake to help increase muscular size and strength.

Sodium and Muscle Growth

Sodium is the primary positively charged ion in extra-cellular fluid. Sodium
regulates blood volume, acid-base balance, muscle and nerve function and
ATP-hydrolyzing activity in skeletal muscle. Potassium is the primary
positively charged ion in intracellular fluid. Potassium regulates intra-muscular
fluid levels, muscle and nerve function and ATP-hydrolyzing activity in skeletal
muscle.

As you can see, sodium and potassium perform very similar functions with the
major difference being in the intra and extra-cellular fluid regulation. Most
everyone is aware that sodium has an effect on subcutaneous (under the skin)
fluid retention. Potassium has its effect on fluid inside the muscle cell. What
most don’t realize is that these two minerals are constantly striving for
equilibrium. When one gets out of line with the other your system will strive to
adjust to the underlying situation.

When you cut your sodium intake, your body will quickly compensate by
holding more sodium in and releasing potassium out thereby decreasing fluid
inside the muscle cell. When you increase your sodium intake your body will
compensate by holding more potassium in (increasing intra-muscular fluid) and
increasing the excretion of sodium.

Sodium, potassium and the balance between the two can have a prominent
impact on muscle size and anabolism (increased cellular fluid inside the muscle
cell promotes an anabolic response in muscle tissue) as well as strength
through increase joint leverage. Also, elevated sodium and potassium levels
will tend to prevent soft tissue injuries so common in heavy training.

Sodium's Influence

Increases muscle size through an increase in muscle cell
fluid volume.

Increasing cellular fluid increases protein turnover and
overload stimulated lean tissue accrual.

Increased intra and extra-cellular fluid increases joint
leverage positively impacting strength for greater muscle
overload.

Increased intra and extra-cellular fluid decreases muscle
strains and helps protect soft and connective tissue from
injury.

Many critical amino acids are "sodium-dependant". This
means they actually have to attach to a sodium molecule
to enter the muscle cell.

Getting Enough

You can get enough potassium from a good multi-mineral supplement.
Bananas are also an excellent source and are highly recommended. Each bite
has about 100 milligrams of potassium. Sodium is another story. The typical
athlete that eats a disciplined diet low in fat is probably not benefiting from
proper sodium intake as he should. Forget the myth of avoiding table salt.
Don’t be afraid to use salt liberally. This is important. I know, over the years
the media has pounded the “avoid salt” routine down your throat but you must
understand, not only this is geared towards the “average person” - if you train
and eat like a bodybuilder, you are not an average person - it's opposite of
what recent science has shown to be healthy.

Remember, the low/no sodium approach will limit the rate at which you can
put on muscle from both a fluid balance standpoint and through hormonal
suppression effects.

For a serious anabolic jolt, simply increase your sodium intake by salting your food a little more. It doesn't take a ton of salt. Just get in the habit of salting your food at
every meal. Steadily increase the amount you use over a one month period.
You'll be bigger, stronger, and much less susceptible to progress halting
injuries. And guess what? It's cheap

http://beverlynutrition.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/71960519...071007894#9071007894

Now, to elaborate further and be specific, sodium mentioned here is really referring to salt, because sodium is in different forms, which includes MSG.

There is a slight number/percentage that is affected by high sodium intake. In fact, my instructor had a mild stroke due to sodium intolerance. He had a high sensitivity that shot up blood pressure to 235/185.

Bottomline, monitor your blood pressure. Perhaps much like caffiene, blood pressure increase is only a short period then returns to normal.

good post frank. i'm curious if there is any info on milligrams to lean body mass that a body builder should aim for? Jtheo ?

Trying to keep the balance of sodium/potassium is the main thing.

Thanks for all the information.