Recent studies have shown that too much salt in several ways may destroy your sexual appetite and here are some of them.
Salt affects female sex hormones
According to a Swiss study, women's response to salt varies depending on their menstrual cycle. It is found that women with normal blood pressure who are not taking any form of hormonal birth control pills do not respond well to foods with high salt content. The research also demonstrated that post-menopausal women are at high risk of developing high blood pressure if they steadily feed on salty diets. This is because the normal hormonal profile of the female body undergoes several changes as menopause nears and taking salt beyond permissible limits might interfere with the natural working mechanisms of the key sex hormones.
Salt puts men at risk of hypertension
A high percentage of men in the UK suffer from erectile dysfunction - a condition that makes it difficult to get and maintain an erection necessary for penetrative sex. Now did you know the amount of salt you take everyday has a direct bearing on how blood runs through your arteries and veins? For many men, erectile dysfunction is a problem caused by arterial damage. How much sodium goes inside your body on a day-to-day basis determines your blood pressure profile, which, in turn, regulates blood circulation in your body. A healthy circulatory system ensures your arteries supply blood to your penis to produce an erection when you are prepared to have sex.
Salt alters body weight, leading to sexual problems
What is the first thing that strikes you when you talk about obesity? If the answer is 'calorie', you may take comfort knowing that salt does not deliver any calories to your system. However, it can jeopardise a person's weight profile temporarily by retaining more water than normal. Water retention in the body is one of the shortcomings of high salt intake. This is the reason people lose some fat quickly whenever they gorge on crash diets that contain very little or no salt.
Now let's come to the main point. Piling on pounds never helps in feeling sexy or acting sexy. It can rather make a person feel unattractive to his/her partner. Such thoughts could well put people in a depressive mode, leading to drop in libido and an overall loss of enthusiasm for intimacy. Obesity is also a major risk factor for heart conditions that are detrimental to sexual health.
Salt consumption damages the heart
When this all-important organ starts pounding irregularly, you know there's some problem lurking beneath the surface. Excess salt can cause heart attacks and many other cardiovascular problems by way of pushing your blood pressure levels higher than normal.
What can be done to curb salty instincts?
A good way to lessen your salt intake is to find a mix of spice with salt. Spices such as pepper, garlic and basil can serve as alternatives to salt (to some extent) without your food tasting stale and inedible. You can also steer clear of high-sodium supermarket foods to bring back the missing spark in your love life. A salt content of less than 100mg per serving is usually considered healthy. When you eat out in restaurants, ask for a preparation without salt. Avoid salted snacks and ready meals and stuff your daily diet with low-sodium vegetables and fruits.
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