Using Salt to Optimize Mental & Physical Performance

Huberman Lab

Scicomm Media

Science, Health & Fitness, Life Sciences

4.8 • 26.2K Ratings

🗓️ 14 March 2022

⏱️ 124 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

I discuss the role of salt (sodium) in the nervous system and the key role that it plays in mental performance, physical performance and health. I explain how the brain senses salt levels in our body and how that relates to our feelings of thirst. I cover the physiology of the renal system and the hormones that control sodium and water balance in our body. I also explore how salt interacts with stress and our immune systems and its crucial role in neuron function. Additionally, I examine research findings suggesting that some individuals might benefit from increased intake of sodium and other electrolytes (magnesium and potassium) to enhance mental performance, lessen anxiety, and offset dizziness. Yet, other people may need less sodium. I discuss how you can determine your optimal sodium intake and why sodium intake levels need to be uniquely tailored to an individual’s lifestyle. Finally, I explain how salt creates ‘hidden’ sugars in many processed foods and the problems that can create. Throughout the episode, I explain peer-reviewed findings outlining salt’s essential role in overall health and describe general recommendations and tools anyone can use to find their optimal salt balance and thereby enhance their brain and body’s performance. For the full show notes, visit hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1 (Athletic Greens): https://athleticgreens.com/huberman InsideTracker: https://insidetracker.com/huberman Thesis: https://takethesis.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman Supplements from Momentous https://www.livemomentous.com/huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Role of Salt (00:02:57) Neuropod Cells, Artificial Sweeteners & ‘Hidden’ Cravings (00:10:57) Sponsors (00:15:06) Salt Regulation (00:17:13) How the Brain Senses Salt (00:24:15) Salt & Thirst (00:29:27) Blood Pressure & Thirst (00:33:47) Kidneys & Urine Regulation (00:39:08) Vasopressin: Roles in Libido & Urination (00:45:46) How Much Salt Do You Need? (00:56:45) Should You Increase Your Salt Intake? (01:02:19) Tools: Determining Your Individual Salt Intake (01:14:02) Iodine, Sea Salt (01:17:13) Salt: Roles in Stress & Anxiety (01:24:20) Other Electrolytes: Magnesium & Potassium (01:27:57) Tools: Effects of Low-carbohydrate Diets & Caffeine (01:32:28) General Recommendations for Salt Intake (01:36:34) Perception of Salt & Sugar Taste, Processed Foods (01:47:13) Role of Sodium in Neuronal Function, Action Potentials (01:53:13) Dehydration (01:55:36) What Salt Intake is Best for You? (02:00:58) Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify, Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Supplements, Instagram, Twitter, Neural Network Newsletter Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac Disclaimer

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to the Huberman Lab podcast where we discuss science and science-based tools for everyday life.
0:08.9	I'm Andrew Huberman and I'm a professor of neurobiology and
0:12.3	Ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine. Today we are going to discuss salt
0:17.2	also referred to as sodium.
0:19.5	Most of us think of salt as something that we put on and in our food. Maybe something to avoid. Maybe some of you are actually trying to get more salt. Some of you are trying to get less salt.
0:29.0	We all seem to associate salt with things like blood pressure, etc.
0:33.3	Today we are going to go down a different set of avenues related to salt. We will certainly cover how salt regulates blood pressure.
0:40.0	We are also going to talk about how the brain regulates our appetite for salt or our aversion for salt.
0:46.9	We are also going to talk about how our sensing of salty tastes
0:51.5	actually mediates how much sugar we crave and whether or not we ingest more or less sugar than we actually need.
0:58.3	So what you are going to learn today is that the so-called salt system, meaning the cells and connections in our brain and body that
1:05.6	mediate salt craving and avoidance, are regulating many many aspects of our health and our ability to perform in various contexts.
1:14.0	Things like athletic performance, things like cognitive performance.
1:17.5	We are also going to talk about aging in dementia and avoiding aging in dementia and what role salt and salt avoidance might play in that.
1:24.8	We are going to touch on some themes that for some of you might seem controversial.
1:28.9	And indeed, if they are controversial, I will be sure to highlight them as such.
1:32.4	I am going to cover a lot of new data that point to the possibility.
1:35.8	I want to emphasize the possibility that for some people more salt might help them in terms of health, cognitive and bodily functioning.
1:44.0	And for other people less salt is going to be better.
1:47.3	I am going to talk about what the various parameters are.
1:49.3	I am going to give you some guidelines that in concert with your physician who you should absolutely talk to
1:54.4	before adding or changing anything to your diet or supplementation regime can help you arrive at a salt intake that is going to optimize your mental, physical health and performance.
	...

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