When you eat a lot of salt, two proteins in your body—SVEP1 and NT-proBNP—go up together, and it looks like this is because your blood volume increases, not because of the salt directly.

We analyzed the available evidence and found that when people consume high amounts of sodium, levels of SVEP1 and NT-proBNP tend to rise at the same time [1]. This pattern was observed in all the data we reviewed, with no studies showing the opposite. What we’ve found so far suggests this increase may be linked to a rise in blood volume, rather than sodium itself directly triggering the change. SVEP1 and NT-proBNP are both proteins involved in how the body handles fluid and pressure, and their simultaneous rise could reflect a shared response to expanded fluid levels in the bloodstream. We did not find any evidence that salt directly causes these proteins to increase, nor did we see data showing one rises without the other. The evidence we’ve reviewed leans toward a connection between high sodium intake, increased blood volume, and coordinated changes in these two proteins. However, we don’t yet know if this relationship is causal, temporary, or how it might vary across different individuals. More research would be needed to understand why this happens or what it might mean for long-term health. For now, if you’re eating more salt than usual, it’s possible your body is holding onto more fluid—and that may be reflected in these protein levels.