Is Salt Bad for You?
Does Sodium Chloride Causes High Blood Pressure and Heart Disease?
Often demonised by "food experts" for causing high blood pressure and heart disease, this simple chemical is important in every diet but should be used in moderation
The word “salt” has differing meanings in the general population and among chemists. The salt that we talk about and add to our food is known by chemists as sodium chloride. This is because for a chemist a salt is an ionic compound, made up of positive metal ions and negative non-metal ions. sodium chloride is one of many salts which include everyday chemicals such as alum (aluminium sulfate), and washing soda (sodium carbonate).
Sources
Sodium chloride salt is produced either as sea-salt by evaporating sea water, or as rock-salt, dug from the ground. These are then purified by dissolving the salt in water, filtering out the impurities and evaporating the resulting solution of sodium chloride. There is no difference between salt produced from either source, it is all sodium chloride.
Taste
Common table salt has a very distinctive taste, in fact it is the only substance to produce one of the four main taste sensations (salty, sweet, sour and bitter). It is a very popular taste and is present in high quantities in snack foods and processed meals. Many other food products, however, are labelled “Low-Salt” as if this will influence our decision to buy it.
A Bad Thing?
As a rule, salt is generally considered a bad thing. Of course, a small quantity is needed, but if you eat too much it is very bad for you. Is this correct, or is there more to it? Will eating low-salt foods help people live longer?
As so often in science, there is no clear-cut answer to these questions.
Necessary
Without a doubt, the body does indeed need a certain amount of sodium, most of which we get from the salt content of our food. Sodium is used with potassium to move electrical impulses along nerve fibres. It is also important in regulating blood pressure and is used in the muscles. In fact, every cell in our bodies requires a small amount of sodium to function correctly. The body does excrete sodium in the sweat and through filtration by the kidneys so it must be continually replaced.
Blood Pressure
The replenishment of sodium is no problem, however, because it is present in so much of our food. In fact research has shown that the average Western man consumes more than 10g of salt a day, when he actually requires less than a third of that amount. Studies have shown that salt does affect blood pressure, especially in people with kidney disease, but as yet there has been no conclusive evidence that these changes cause heart disease or other life-threatening conditions.
Moderation
The best advice, as with many things, is to use salt in moderation. Reducing the quantity of very salty foods in a person's diet would be wise, but, in terms of reducing your blood pressure, such things as giving up smoking, losing excess weight and taking regular exercise would be far more effective.
