What dietary sodium restriction is recommended for managing heart failure?

• A. Less than 2 grams per day
• B. Less than 0.5 grams per day
• C. More than 5 grams per day
• D. No restriction

Answer: (A)

Reducing sodium intake helps control fluid buildup in heart failure. When the heart isn’t pumping well, the body activates systems that hold onto sodium and water, increasing blood volume and edema. Limiting sodium to about 2 grams per day lowers total body sodium, decreases extracellular fluid, reduces preload, and often improves symptoms and reduces the need for higher diuretic doses. The target of less than 2 grams per day is practical and commonly recommended. Too strict a limit (such as less than 0.5 grams) is usually unnecessary and hard to maintain; eating more than 5 grams daily worsens fluid retention; and having no restriction permits ongoing volume overload. So, less than 2 grams per day is the best choice.