Is salt anabolic? The importance of salt in the body

The importance of salt for the body is crucial.

Any bodybuilder who is completely blinded and obsessed with winning a Mr. Olympia cannot neglect their long-term health. The greatest athletes are those who truly do not care about their health—not only in bodybuilding, but in any elite sport—because otherwise their athletic careers would be drastically shortened.

Usually, once people reach a certain age, health begins to take priority, because that is when life is truly appreciated. One wants to remain with their loved ones for as long as possible and hopes to continue living without illness and with the best possible quality of life. This concept is basic and fundamental to understanding why salt is important for the body.

In bodybuilding, especially in weight training, increasing salt intake—in other words, sodium intake—has always been recommended. Even today, it is advised to eat a meal rich in salt before training; some coaches even recommend it be Himalayan salt, to achieve good muscle contraction and a good pump, since salt is very important for transporting amino acids, provided that potassium is at least twice as high as sodium.

Therefore, regarding the question, is salt anabolic?

Well, salt can be anabolic because it transports amino acids and fills the tissues with water, especially extracellular rather than intracellular water, because in that case potassium causes you to retain water. Consequently, if you retain water, protein synthesis is greater and the risk of injury is reduced. However, if you do not consume a high amount of vegetables or foods containing potassium—meat already provides potassium, as do eggs—though not at the same level as vegetables,

for example, consuming meat alone would not get you anywhere near 3,704 mg of potassium; that is why it is recommended to add a pinch of natural salt to every meal. Some athletes who do not like eating vegetables replace them with a supplement such as “greens” or a vegetable blend, but that is a major mistake. To begin with, the salt would need to be removed, because you cannot consume 3,500 mg of sodium and 1,000 mg of potassium, as that would create a huge imbalance.

Salt inside the cell, especially chloride, is acidic, and you need to understand this rather than simply relying on macros and calories. This point is very important because, in my observation, if it is done incorrectly, it can have negative consequences.

It can be done for a period of time—for example, if it is optimal or reasonable, two weeks of ketosis—but always with an understanding of the amounts and, above all, the duration, in order to balance the harmful effects ketosis can cause; because in addition to its benefits, it also has a number of associated negative effects.

I like to share my knowledge from both a theoretical and practical perspective. For example, I do not like to present information based on a study without conducting a study of that study. It is also very important to apply the individual principle to each person; for this reason, there are cases where a study does not represent absolute truth or is not reflected in practice.

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