Food That Kills - Table Salt Or Common Salt
Chemical name of common salt is Sodium Chloride (NaCl). Sodium Chloride contains 39% of sodium, an element which never occurs in free form in nature. It is found associated with many minerals, especially in plentiful amount with chlorine. Sodium Chloride when dissolved in water yields sodium in the body and found in extracellular fluids. Sodium ions make up 93% of the basic ions in the blood. Common salt is obtained mainly from sea water. To recover common salt, sea water is run into lagoons and allowed to evaporate (A lagoon is a shallow salt water lake separated from the sea by sand banks). The heat from the sun evaporates water and crude common salt is left behind.Sodium Chloride is highly soluble in water. When common salt is kept open, it absorbs moisture from the air due to the presence of small amount of magnesium chloride in it. Magnesium Chloride (MgCl₂) is a deliquescent salt which absorb moisture from the air to form a solution.
Requirement of salt in the body
Obviously some amount of salt is required by the body for of the following purposes in the body.
1. NaCL is a very important constituent of the blood (0.9 gm in every 100ml). It is important for the maintenance of the red blood cells and helps proteins to dissolve.
2. Sodium ions help in the conduction of nerve impulses and concentration of muscles.
3. Sodium ions help to retain water in the body and maintain water balance.
4. Sodium ions are important in transportation of substances across cell membranes.
5. Sodium ion play a part in the electrical activity of the heart. Exchange of sodium and potassium ions in the pacemaker cells of the hearts sinoatrial node causes the heart to beat.
6. Chloride ions are an important component of the blood.
7. Chloride ion helps in formation of HCl (Hydrochloric Acid) in the stomach for digestion.
8. A saline drip is given to patients suffering from a severe loss of salt from the body as in cholera, dysentery, vomiting etc.
9. Sodium plays an important role in the regulation of acid base in the body fluids including blood, lymph, tears and gastrointestinal secretions.
The minimum salt intakes suggested by experts is 5gm per day for an adult without a family history of blood pressure. If there is a family history, then salt may be reduced to 2gm per day. However, increased salt intake is warranted during hot summer days or hot season any where and periods of heavy exertion that cause profuse sweating, since salt and water are lost when we perspire or sweat. The spots left on our colored clothes by the drying sweat during summer or hot season are because of sodium chloride disposition. this is because when sweat dries from the clothes. water in it evaporates, leaving behind the sodium chloride which produces white spots on the clothes. Severe salt loss in the body manifests muscle cramps, irritability and apathy.
Bad effects of excess salt
1. Salt is a stimulant : It stimulates sympathetic nervous system and adrenal glands and creates stress arousal. That is why it comes under the category of stress food.
2. High blood pressure : Excess salt causes water retention in the body and increases the blood volume and cardiac output resulting into high blood pressure. Considerable fall in blood pressure is achieved with the reduction in the dietary salt intake.
3. Weakening of bones : Eating to much salt can pull calcium from the bones, making them weak. More calcium is also excreted in the urine with the ingestion of more table salt.
4. Effect on kidneys : Excess salt put a heavy burden on kidneys because they have to work harder to remove the excess salt. Hence they may gradually weaken. The kidney can't remove 4-5gm of salt per day. The remaining salt not able to be excreted gives rise to undesirable ailments in the body.
5. Increase in weight : Excess salt in the body increases the weight of the body because of the following reasons. Kidneys eliminates excess salt from the body by filtering out the sodium that makes up parts of the salt compound. In case kidneys work less efficiently either because they have gone weak or because lowered blood supply to them ( because of weak heart ) The kidneys excrete sodium less efficiently and more sodium is retained in the body. Since the kidneys are more geared to maintain a fixed proportion of sodium to water in the blood, excess salt in the body means excess water too, and excess weight of the body.
6. Worsening of Oedema : Salt makes oedema worse and should be avoided in all edematous states whether due to liver, kidney or endocrine diseases.
7. Hardening of arteries : Table salt is not completely soluble in water and tends to harden the arteries by it's excessive use. For good health, salt is required, which is entirely soluble in water. High temperatures used for making table salt salt and elements like potassium chloride and sulphate and other chlorides tend to inhibit the dissolving of salt in water.
8. Salt increases uric acid : Excess of salt interferes with the elimination of certain wastes of the system like the uric acid and therefore contributes indirectly to various diseases like gout etc.
9. Bronchial and lung problems : Deficiency of organic sodium in table salt results in bronchial and lung problems because organic sodium is required for the elimination of CO₂ from the system.
Salt, from what has been put down here has the good side and bad side of it and should be used with care or else ones health will be in serious danger. To be continued. Make your comments below for future improvements.
