Is Salt Good For Soccer Players [Sodium Intake]

Despite its importance, there is a general trend among many soccer players to avoid salt, which is not always necessary. In fact, if you are a heavy sweater or crave salty foods, indulging in them can be beneficial.

Playing soccer at the highest level is very tiring. In a 90-minute game, players can run up to 15 kilometers, with 2000-3000 meters at high speed. All this running makes them sweat a lot.

In fact, during a two-hour match, they sweat more than most healthy adults do in several days.

You may have heard nutritionists describe salt intake (sodium) as a crucial performance enhancer. But at the same time, doctors warn that consuming too much sodium can be dangerous for your health.

This can be confusing, so let me clarify why sodium could be an important element missing from a soccer player’s nutrition plan.

Knowing About Salt

Salt belongs to a group of minerals called electrolytes, which includes potassium, magnesium, calcium, and phosphate.

Electrolytes become charged ions when they dissolve in the body’s fluids, hence the term “electro”-lytes. Sodium and potassium have a crucial role in maintaining a balance of fluids inside and outside your cells to prevent cell shrinkage or swelling.

Aside from this, electrolytes also help maintain the right pH of your blood.

When you sweat, electrolytes are carried out of your body through your sweat glands. The amount of electrolytes lost may vary, but during a soccer game, you can lose between 0.5 to 4 liters of sweat per 45 minutes.

A liter of sweat normally contains about 900 milligrams of sodium, 200 milligrams of potassium, 15 milligrams of calcium, and 13 milligrams of magnesium.

Sodium loss during sweating is much higher compared to other electrolytes, making it crucial for soccer to replenish sodium levels.

This is especially important as other electrolytes can be obtained sufficiently through a balanced diet rich in whole foods, fruits, and vegetables.

Benefits of Salt For Soccer Players

• Helps Stay hydrated
• Iodine Deficiency
• Improves Cardiovascular Health
• Prevents Hyponatremia
• Combats Sun Stroke
• Relieves Muscle Cramps

Help Stay Hydrated

Ensuring proper hydration levels is really important for the utmost performance on the soccer field. The balance of sodium and potassium is vital for maintaining hydration.

When there is too much sodium in your body, it retains water, causing dehydration. However, potassium helps balance sodium levels, which helps regulate hydration.

To maintain hydration, it’s important to consume a balanced amount of sodium and potassium. Sea salt, such as Celtic or pink Himalayan salt, is an excellent source of both minerals, unlike regular table salt, which contains only sodium chloride.

Including sea salt in your diet can help maintain the ideal balance of these minerals in your body, leading to better hydration.

Proper hydration has numerous health benefits, including improved skin health, cognitive function, and physical performance, which are all essential for soccer players.

Players are to prioritize hydration by maintaining a balance of sodium and potassium in their diet, with the help of sea salt.

As nutritionist Leslie Bonci puts it, “We want to be appropriately hydrated, and that means having enough fluid and electrolytes, including sodium, to support our body’s daily functions.”

Iodine Deficiency

Iodine is a vital element necessary for producing the thyroid hormone.

Our body does not naturally produce iodine, so it is important to consume it through our diet. Inadequate intake of iodine can lead to the enlargement of the thyroid gland, also known as goiter, as the body tries to compensate for the lack of thyroid hormone production.

This can result in serious health conditions such as hypothyroidism.

In addition to the production of the thyroid hormone, the body also requires adequate levels of iodine for proper brain and bone development during pregnancy and early childhood.

If pregnant or lactating mothers are deficient in iodine, their children may suffer from intellectual disabilities, also known as mental retardation. Fortunately, consuming iodized salt can prevent such deficiencies and potentially fatal outcomes.

Improves Cardiovascular Health

Recent scientific studies have shown that the amount of salt in our diets directly impacts our blood pressure and cardiovascular health, increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

We know soccer players tend to suffer from these attacks and they’ve been a lot of cases where players slump and died on the pitch. High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is a significant cause of these health events.

Insufficient intake of essential nutrients like calcium, magnesium, and sodium can lead to negative health outcomes. Therefore, monitoring salt intake is a vital factor in controlling blood pressure.

For soccer players, managing salt intake can provide major benefits. Consuming appropriate levels of sodium can help maintain hydration levels, boost athletic performance, and ensure proper muscle function by maintaining the body’s electrolyte balance.

For those with low blood pressure (below 90/60), increasing salt and fluid intake can help manage the condition by increasing blood volume in the arteries, resulting in a rise in blood pressure.

Prevents Hyponatremia

Hyponatremia is a condition that can occur when the body experiences low levels of sodium (salt) in the fluids outside of the cells. This condition is commonly caused by overhydration with water, sweating, or diarrhea and is also known as water intoxication.

As a soccer player, it’s important to maintain healthy blood pressure and support the smooth functioning of your nerves and muscles.

To achieve this, the body requires an adequate amount of sodium. When sodium levels fall below level, excess water can enter the cells, leading to an imbalance of water to salt ratio in the body. This can result in swelling in the cells due to the excess water.

While this swelling is not a concern for most cells, it can be dangerous for brain cells as they are confined within the skull. Swelling in the brain cells can lead to hyponatremia.

Combats Sun Stroke

When playing soccer in hot conditions, it’s important to understand the risks of heatstroke.

Heatstroke occurs when your body’s natural cooling system fails to function properly, usually due to prolonged exposure to high temperatures or overheating in certain environments.

When this happens, your body temperature rises to dangerous levels, putting your vital organs at risk.

To prevent heatstroke, make sure to stay hydrated and maintain a proper balance of electrolytes. This can be achieved by consuming enough salt and drinking plenty of fluids.

If you or someone you know is suffering from heatstroke, it’s important to replenish electrolyte levels by drinking fluids that contain sugar and salt.

Relieves Muscle Cramps

Muscle cramps are a common issue that soccer players face during matches, and they can occur due to several reasons.

However, one of the primary causes is a loss of essential electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, and magnesium, which help regulate muscle function.

To prevent muscle cramps, it’s important to maintain a proper balance of electrolytes by taking fluids and drinks that contain salt. This helps to replenish the lost electrolytes and restore muscle function, reducing the risk of injury.

During soccer matches, players are at increased risk of muscle cramps due to the physical demands of the game and the hot environment. Therefore, it’s crucial to consume sufficient fluids and electrolytes before, during, and after the match to prevent cramping.

Can You Use Smelling Salts In Soccer?

Smelling salts are absolutely legal for use in soccer, and some players do use them to help revitalize themselves before or during matches.

However, it’s important to use smelling salts with caution since they can be hazardous if used excessively or carelessly.

Players are advised to consult with a medical professional before using smelling salts, especially if they have any underlying health conditions that may be affected by the inhalation of ammonia gas.

Also, players should avoid sharing their smelling salts with others to prevent the spread of germs.

While smelling salts may provide a quick boost of energy, they are not a substitute for proper hydration, nutrition, and rest. Soccer players should prioritize a healthy lifestyle and adequate preparation to optimize their performance on the field.

Do Soccer Players Need Extra Salt After Sweating?

As a soccer player, you are unlikely to lose high amounts of sodium and gallons of sweat during a normal 90-minute game, as your standard diet provides sufficient sodium.

Even if you are sweating heavily during a game, the amount of sodium lost is relatively insignificant, ranging from 1,800 to 5,600 milligrams, which is only a 2 to 6 percent loss for the average 150-pound person who typically contains 97,000 milligrams of sodium.

Rather than focusing on post-game sodium replacement, consider including salty foods in your pre-game meal, such as chicken noodle soup or a ham and cheese sandwich.

This can help your body retain fluids and lower the risk of dehydration during the game.

If you experience muscle cramps repeatedly, it may be helpful to increase your daily sodium intake, particularly if you play soccer during hot summer weather.

How Do Soccer Players Lose Sodium?

Soccer players normally lose sodium and fluids through sweating during training and matches, which creates different sodium replacement needs for regular players compared to non-playing players.

People lose different amounts of sodium in their sweat, with soccer players losing between 200mg to 2,000mg per liter of sweat.

Sweat rates also differ from players and circumstance, ranging from minimal amounts in cooler conditions and low-intensity activities to several liters per hour during intense matches in hot conditions.

Combining differences in sodium concentration and sweat rates leads to high variations in the total net sodium losses experienced among footballers, particularly during extended games.

How Much Sodium Should I Take?

To avoid conditions like high blood pressure, W.H.O. suggests limiting daily sodium intake to less than 2,300 mg (equivalent to about one teaspoon of salt) for healthy adults.

However, understanding whether your net losses are low, moderate, or high can provide a starting point for determining the appropriate level of sodium and fluid replacement in different circumstances.

The two main factors that determine your net sodium losses are the total amount you sweat, which is determined by your sweat rate and the duration of sweating, and your sweat sodium concentration, which is the amount of salt lost in your sweat.

It is recommended to estimate these factors to help determine appropriate sodium and fluid replacement.

Calculating your sweat rate can be challenging, but there are resources available to estimate your hourly sweat rate.

Your sweat sodium concentration is largely determined by genetics and remains consistent, making it necessary to get tested only once in most cases.

I’d recommend going for a professional sweat test to know how much sodium intake you need.

Final Thoughts – Is Salt Good For Soccer Players

Effective hydration strategies are critical for any soccer player seeking to improve their performance on the field. Nonetheless, ensuring moderate sodium intake is equally important to prevent hyponatremia and its health consequences.

Drink up and salt your game.