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Water softeners exchange calcium and magnesium ions in hard water for sodium ions. The amount of sodium in softened water depends on how hard the water was when it entered the system. More sodium is used for harder water. Softened water is not a problem if you are healthy, but if you need to maintain a low-sodium diet, it may become an issue. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, high sodium in your diet can contribute to heart disease.
Water Softener
As rainwater moves through soil and rock, it picks up minerals, which makes the water hard. The hard water can leave mineral deposits on clothing, appliances and even your hair. As a typical water softener exchanges hard water mineral ions for sodium ions, the sodium content in your drinking water rises. For every 10 grains of calcium carbonate found per gallon, 75 mg of sodium is added per liter.
The majority of Americans consume more than 3,400 mg of sodium per day, twice that recommended by the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. These guidelines say you should limit your dietary sodium to less than 2,300 mg per day, less for high-risk individuals. If you are trying to limit your sodium intake and your water softener is producing 400 mg of sodium per liter, drinking such water will cause you to reach your sodium limit quickly. Do not decrease your water intake; other water treatment options exist.
Sodium and Your Heart
A strong relationship exists between high salt consumption and high blood pressure. In articles published in 2002 and 2005 in the "Journal of Human Hypertension" and "Hypertension," respectively, reduction of dietary salt significantly lowered participant blood pressure. Additionally, the Cleveland Clinic provides a low-sodium guideline for heart failure. A large amount of evidence points toward dietary sodium reduction as a way to prevent heart disease caused by high blood pressure, or hypertension.
Considerations
Since high dietary salt increases hypertension and hypertension causes heart disease, it seems a low-salt diet would decrease your chances of heart disease. Softened water presents an additional sodium burden to an already salty diet. To eliminate sodium in softened water, you can install a potassium chloride water softener. Also, you can filter the softened water to remove the sodium or bypass the softener altogether, using that one hard water tap for food preparation and drinking. Numerous ways exist to continue softening your water without adding sodium to your diet.
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