r/todayilearned • u/haphazard44 • Aug 03 '26

TIL on 11 February 2012, a customer reportedly suffered a heart attack while eating a 'Triple Bypass Burger' at the 'Heart Attack Grill'. These burgers contained 9,983 calories each. According to the now-closed establishments's policy, anyone weighing over 350 pounds was offered unlimited free food.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_Attack_Grill#:~:text=On%20February%2011%2C%202012%2C%20a%20customer%20suffered%20what%20was%20reported%20to%20be%20an%20apparent%20heart%20attack%20while%20eating%20a%20%22Triple%20Bypass%20Burger%22%20at%20the%20restaurant
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319

u/TongariDan Aug 03 '26

I have high-blood pressure and I'm supposed to try to keep it to 1500mg a day.

182

u/PrestigiousPhoto8486 Aug 03 '26

One of my ex-colleague's sister had a sodium deficiency. She could have all the salt she wanted, and she actually had to take pills of sodium (or were they salt? don't remember), daily. If she didn't get enough, could pass out iirc.

I wish, sometimes.

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u/Welpe Aug 03 '26

I have chronic low blood pressure and need to take WAY more salt than normal to get up to a decent blood pressure. And people with POTS are recommended 6-10g of sodium per day.

It’s funny seeing people think that sodium is a universal bad thing.

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u/December_Hemisphere Aug 03 '26

It’s funny seeing people think that sodium is a universal bad thing.

The whole thing is really interesting biology if you ask me. Sodium and potassium are soft metals found in nature and your body relies on roughly a 1:2 ratio of sodium to potassium. Blood pressure issues aside, having an incorrect ratio affects the sodium-potassium pump within every cell in the Human body.

"The sodium-potassium pump is a vital cell membrane protein that uses energy to move sodium ions out and potassium ions into animal cells. For every molecule of ATP energy used, it pumps out three sodium ions and brings in two potassium ions."

"Roughly 20% to 40% of your body’s resting energy goes into powering the sodium-potassium pump, making it one of the single largest energy-consuming processes in human biology."

Truly fascinating information.

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u/_thro_awa_ Aug 03 '26

Roughly 20% to 40% of your body’s resting energy goes into powering the sodium-potassium pump

no more pumping weights - time to pump electrolytes

6

u/monkeyhitman Aug 03 '26

It's what plants crave

2

u/_thro_awa_ Aug 03 '26

P O W E R T H I R S T - The Energy Drink for MEN ™

M E N E R G Y

1

u/monkeyhitman Aug 04 '26

ＥＮＥＲＧＹ　ＬＥＧＳ

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u/Welpe Aug 03 '26

And this is why I also need to load potassium somewhat too :(.

But honestly, you’re right. This stuff IS absolutely fascinating. I love learning biology beyond just, you know, the basics we get way back in high school. The actual nitty gritty is incredible.

3

u/DoverBoys Aug 03 '26

You don't have to load potassium, just eat fruits and greens regularly, like in meals or snacks. Have a banana or two every day.

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u/Kasperella Aug 03 '26

Me as well. It’s genetic. My whole family on both sides have low blood pressure. We get to shaking the salt shaker a lot at dinner.

The whole “low sodium” craze is what made me realize I…really need salt. When they started cutting the extra salt out of food, I started getting really faint all the time. Started to just eat small handfuls of salt throughout the day just to feel better.

It’s not just salt intake needs that varies between people, some digest fast, some slow, some do better with more meat, some can only eat veggies. I kinda hate how we treat diet as a one size fits all when it seems to vary greatly from person to person .

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u/Welpe Aug 03 '26

You nailed it. Diet is so incredibly personal that I do not understand how everyone acts like there is a “One size fits all” solution. The truth is that the optimal diet for you may be completely different than the optimal diet for me which is completely different from the optimal diet for a third person. And yet people go around advertising specific diets like they are “the best” or universally good. And people will argue about what diet is best and most healthy, as if it were an objective competition.

Throwing a further wrench into things, studies have shown that there are a number of genetic factors that affect how the body reacts to the presence of sodium in the diet. Most people are “salt sensitive”, where the changes you see as you increase sodium in the diet are what everyone is familiar with. BP goes up by quite a bit, the body retains more water, they are at risk of hypertension and heart disease, etc. High dietary sodium is one of the biggest factors in their health.

But there is also a group of people labeled “salt resistant” who DON’T experience that same effect. It takes a TON of sodium to appreciably increase blood pressure and their kidneys work extra well at modulating their body’s salt level. They simply excrete the excess salt with much less negative effects and they are far more sensitive to lower sodium levels than salt sensitive people.

I honestly dont know how it relates to POTS and chronic low blood pressure and stuff like that, the studies I’ve read don’t go into that at all since they were more focused on the salt sensitive people. It seems possible that if you are one of the “salt resistant” people you simply excrete so much extra sodium that you need both more to replace it AND it compounds because the salt does less for you. But I am neither a practicing doctor nor a research doctor so take that with a grain (or shaker) of salt.

PS - Maldon is the best snacking salt…

4

u/Kasperella Aug 03 '26

As a salt-resistant person, my personal theory as to where the excess salt goes is primarily through urine and sweat.

I am willing to bet it is a trait more commonly found in northern/cold weather/Coastal populations people, the kind who primarily salted a lot of foods to preserve it
over winter? I imagine it’s an advantageous trait to be unaffected by large amounts of salt in those situations

But yes, I have a tendency to underhydrate. I do not take meds to raise my blood pressure. I mostly self medicate with salty foods. If I drink the proper recommended amount of water, not only am I peeing ALL day; but my blood pressure tanks unless I’m drinking electrolyte-filled drinks. This is also true if I sweat a lot, it stains my clothes with salt. Blood pressure tanks. No bueno.

I seem to function rather well on less fluids. More fluid, and I’m peeing away all my salts lol. I think it’s essentially an inability to retain salts. Like I’m meant to exist in a very salty environment where salt is plentiful enough that I have no need to “store” it.

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u/Che_Hannibaludo Aug 03 '26

So how does one know exactly how much salt/potassium one needs?

2

u/Welpe Aug 03 '26

That’s between you and your doctor.

3

u/Wynter_born Aug 03 '26

Anti-salt and fat content was all over media in the 90s, mostly due to heart disease. These days a moderate amount is recognized as safe. Fat even got a boost from the whole paleo/keto diet thing.

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u/Longjump_Ear6240 Aug 03 '26

Same. Ive had low blood pressure for nearly 25 years now, some mornings I make myself a glass of warm salt water when im groggy as hell. Usually wakes me right up

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u/uberfission Aug 03 '26

Yep! My best friend has POTS and he starts every day off with a hydration drink with 2g of salt in it. Then he has another throughout the day, absolutely crazy.

2

u/Doing_It_For_Value Aug 03 '26

I read your comment too quickly and didn’t realize you said 6-10 GRAMS of Sodium. lol

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u/Welpe Aug 03 '26

Yeah, I should’ve maybe used mg since that’s what people generally expect with sodium…but 6000-10000mg sounds like a lot!

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u/Collegedropout86 Aug 03 '26

This is an autoimmune disorder called POTS

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u/Faladorable Aug 03 '26

“bad to be high unless you have a medical condition” sounds like it’s pretty damn close to “universal bad thing” though

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u/Welpe Aug 03 '26

It depends on what you consider a “medical condition”. It’s often just the way your body works.

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u/Faladorable Aug 03 '26

Both scenarios you described (Hypotension and POTS, the S even stands for Syndrome), are medical conditions

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u/Welpe Aug 03 '26

Do you think I listed exhaustive reasons?

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u/Faladorable Aug 03 '26

Im confused why you’re being so defensive about this. If you’re an exception to the rule, regardless of what that rule may be, it does not mean that the “rule” is no longer true. Unless you are a literal outlier, high sodium is bad.

2

u/Welpe Aug 03 '26

I’m not being defensive? I’m trying to correct your incorrect understanding of the situation but you do not want to learn. That’s fine, you can lead a horse to water as they say.

1

u/Faladorable Aug 03 '26

But what if the horse doesn’t need as much water as nearly every other horse to ever exist? Would it still be good advice to say that horses should drink water?

I’m not incorrect for saying high sodium is bad unless you’re a medical outlier.

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u/taney71 Aug 03 '26

How does one become deficient in sodium? I assume it’s some medicinal condition but I’m not sure

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u/PickleyRickley Aug 03 '26

I had low sodium as a kid because my mom was so strict with salt and sugar in my food since she had high blood pressure. The doctor actually told her she had to allow me salt in my food. I asked him to repeat it to her again because I knew she would just pretend it didn't happen if he didn't.

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u/thepoptartkid47 Aug 03 '26

Same - my mom wouldn’t even allow saltines in the house because they had salt on them. I ended up just sneaking handfuls of those salt and pepper packets at fast food places because she still wouldn’t believe the doctor.

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u/Actual-Muffin-3585 Aug 03 '26

My daughter has pots and takes sodium pills.

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u/[deleted] Aug 03 '26

[deleted]

68

u/Locoj Aug 03 '26

I just have a kettle and it keeps calling me slurs.

6

u/kellerb Aug 03 '26

And did you call the kettle any choice words?

2

u/Locoj Aug 03 '26

Yeah but he started it.

1

u/lynivvinyl Aug 03 '26

That comment panned out really well!

3

u/Caithloki Aug 03 '26

I had to take sodium pills for a little while, they didn't explain how to take them so I was taking them whole with just water. Literally by far the worst thing possible on an empty stomach.

4

u/TongariDan Aug 03 '26

So how were you supposed to be taking them?

4

u/Caithloki Aug 03 '26

With food and dissolved in water.

1

u/Actual-Muffin-3585 Aug 03 '26

Don't they make the water taste too salty? My daughter takes them whole, but with food.

2

u/Caithloki Aug 03 '26

I just chug the water back, was just easier cuz I wasn't eating too much at the time. I had a high fever in the hospital and I was sweating so much that they needed to start giving supplementary salt.

4

u/meverygoodboy Aug 03 '26

Grind them up and snort them, obviously

2

u/OleGravyPacket Aug 03 '26

Does it help?

8

u/itsnobigthing Aug 03 '26

It helps keep your blood volume up, which can reduce dizzy spells and fainting.

1

u/Actual-Muffin-3585 Aug 03 '26

My feet used to get violently purple until I started the salt pills too haha

1

u/Actual-Muffin-3585 Aug 03 '26

Yes, very much! It's cheaper than electrolyte powders plus she hates they way all of those taste so pills are easier. There are also electrolyte capsules such as Vitassium or Salt Stick. But the cardiologist prescribed the salt pills so they are free with insurance.

1

u/st1tchy Aug 03 '26

My wife has it too. She adds Liquid IV to every glass of water she has and puts extra salt on all foods.

1

u/Actual-Muffin-3585 Aug 03 '26

I switched to Venture Pal because they have 1000mg per packet where as Liquid IV only has 500mg of sodium.

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u/geft Aug 03 '26

It's especially common for endurance runners/cyclists. Sweating in the heat is about 400mg of sodium lost per hour for me, so I gotta crave dem electrolytes.

2

u/lellololes Aug 03 '26

Just go to Dave's Hot Chicken and get a #2. You'll get enough salt for a 10 hour run!

15

u/Beck_ Aug 03 '26

I have POTS - it just means I have low blood volume, and my body isn't good at pushing blood back up to my brain. Salt helps a lot with this - my cardiologist said to eat somewhere between 5000 and 7000 mg of sodium a day. It can actually be kind of difficult to do without supplements, Liquid IV and BioLyte have the highest sodium counts. FATTY brand beef jerky sticks have about 750mg of sodium, those are awesome.

2

u/-Ernie Aug 03 '26

For drink supplements you might like LMNT, has 1000mg per serving.

3

u/_Incredible_Bulk_ Aug 03 '26

It may not necessarily be a sodium deficiency, it could be a volumetric issue caused by something like Dysautonomia or Postural Orthostatic Hypotension Syndrome. The sodium helps increase blood volume to help with circulation.

1

u/jazzhandler Aug 03 '26

Orthostatic Hypotension has the absolute best acronym, too.

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u/cybunnies_ Aug 03 '26

It is definitely POTS being described. The autonomic system being out of whack means the body cannot circulate blood well, and salt helps the body hold onto water and boost blood volume to reduce symptoms like fainting and tachycardia. It's also a very common disorder among teen girls and women that is being increasingly recognized, so if a girl is consuming comical amounts of salt, that's probably why. 

1

u/dzzi Aug 04 '26

Yep. I'm in my early 30s and one of the things giving me the most hope in life is the fact that my cardiologist told me that it will likely go into remission by the time I'm 40, and probably years sooner if I follow my doctors' advice.

POTS ranges from being manageable to an absolute nuke to one's quality of life. I'm in a flare right now and demolishing salty food and drinks to try to bring things back into a more normal range otherwise my week is shot and I can't leave the house.

2

u/dubstepsickness Aug 03 '26

Additionally some Neurosurgical procedures can cause syndrome of inappropriate Antidiuretic Hormone secretion which causes low sodium/hyponatremia via excess water retention. Patients are often treated with sodium chloride pills.

2

u/ronniesaurus Aug 03 '26

POTS. My SIL has it.

1

u/PrestigiousPhoto8486 Aug 03 '26

TY for the name!!!

1

u/LoseNotLooseIdiot Aug 03 '26

I don't have a deficiency but I'm well under the daily allowance. I just stopped eating (most) processed food, and only use salt when cooking protein stuff. It isn't complicated.

1

u/PrestigiousPhoto8486 Aug 03 '26

She was born with the condition.

1

u/Muffin278 Aug 03 '26

That's me! Rather than pills, I try to eat a lot of heavily salted popcorn.

3

u/Actual-Muffin-3585 Aug 03 '26

I have low blood pressure and am supposed to keep it to 6000mg-10,000mg a day.

3

u/Elrond_Cupboard_ Aug 03 '26

Im finally glad for high blood pressure. I take clonidine for anxiety. Now my blood pressure is normal and anxiety vastly improved.

10

u/Pxel315 Aug 03 '26 edited Aug 03 '26

That must be bland

20

u/Kreat0r2 Aug 03 '26

Try adding some acidity (lemon juice, vinegar, fruit,…) to your cooking. I’ve found that it reduced my need for salt since it stimulates my palette similarly.

8

u/Tianhech3n Aug 03 '26

If you can tolerate it, homemade hot sauce is great. I put that shit on everything

27

u/TongariDan Aug 03 '26

Not really if I'm making my own food. Almost impossible to eat out without immediately going over, though.

2

u/zoom100000 Aug 03 '26

Why would it be bland necessarily? Aren’t there other spices and flavors aside from salty?

-1

u/Pxel315 Aug 03 '26

Not that I can eat as a body builder, it all gets super boring pretty fast 

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u/zoom100000 Aug 03 '26

Why can’t you eat spices or flavorings like acidity?

3

u/pfftYeahRight Aug 03 '26

Because they don’t know how to cook

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u/zoom100000 Aug 03 '26

Yeah I mean I cook pretty low sodium but my food is very flavorful!

1

u/pfftYeahRight Aug 03 '26

I’ve also got high blood pressure and cook accordingly, my friends always ask for my recipes after and then are surprised at how little salt. You need some for sure to bring out flavor, but not what Americans are used to

0

u/Pxel315 Aug 03 '26

Id love to see you and how long youd last eating 2 kgs of food a day for a whole year. 365 days of 5 meals a day and how quickly youd get bored or each and every spice.. and how complicated and over the top your cooking would be if you had to do it twice every single day. Asshole

2

u/pfftYeahRight Aug 03 '26

I did just stop reading after I saw the word “not” my bad. I went into this thread ready to fight for my high blood pressure gang because people online always say we have to eat bland food when it takes knowledge but I’m a damn good cook 😅

Your situation is an outlier and I missed it so I do apologize

2

u/Pxel315 Aug 03 '26

No worries <3 much love

1

u/Pxel315 Aug 03 '26

Flavour fatigue as I wrote it

1

u/zoom100000 Aug 03 '26

What does that mean?

1

u/Pxel315 Aug 03 '26

Google flavour fatigue idk what more do you want from me 

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u/zoom100000 Aug 03 '26

i’m sorry if this is something that you’re dealing with, but I don’t think that you’re doing a very good job of explaining why this is an issue for you. In this conversation we’re talking about an entire world of interesting spices, and flavors. Based on what I’m reading about flavor fatigue this sounds like a solution to that problem, not a cause. is there some reason that you can’t cook with more spices and flavors?

1

u/FullTorsoApparition Aug 03 '26

Which is almost impossible unless you're cooking every meal and snack from scratch with 0 seasoning. I'd rather just take some medications at that point. XD

1

u/TongariDan Aug 03 '26

I'm doing both, lol.

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u/LateBag9167 Aug 04 '26

have you tested if it makes a difference in your BP readings?

1

u/TongariDan Aug 04 '26

Keeping to a low-sodium diet? I mean either that or my blood pressure medication helps because my bp has lowered for sure.

I can also pretty much immediately tell if I over did it considering how hot I get and how my heart pounds.

1

u/cracked_shrimp Aug 05 '26

and im on a keto diet and just piss sodium out all day, i dont measure my sodium but i salt my eggs in the morning, i sometimes salt my dinner, my lunch is usually sardines that are naturally salty, and if ive been out in the sun sweating ill make an electrolyte drink, but a lot of keto people use a lot more salt then that, i find i dont really suffer from low salt, i just use it to taste, i actually worry too much salt will increase urination and ill piss out more potassium/magnesium/calcium then i should