Salt

Salt is essential for our health. Not only does it perform important functions within our bodies, it also plays a key role in keeping our food safe to eat. Salt plays a crucial role in keeping our bodies functioning properly. When we exercise, when we're hot, and when we're going through physiological changes, such as pregnancy or growing old, its role becomes even more fundamental. Most crucially, it maintains the balance of our fluids, which carry oxygen and nutrients around our bodies. The two elements of salt - sodium and chloride - each play a variety of crucial roles in our bodies. Sodium enables the transmission of nerve impulses around the body, regulating the electrical charges moving in and out of the cells and key in the operation of signals to and from the brain. Chloride is key for the digestion process. It preserves the acid-base balance in the body and helps the blood to carry carbon dioxide from respiring tissues to the lungs. The body is able to adjust to the amount of salt that we consume, such as through making us thirsty when it needs extra water to dilute the salt. A healthy body processes just the amount of salt it needs and the kidneys dispose of any excess. Without enough salt, our bodies cannot perform all the vital functions listed above. Symptoms of insufficient salt include muscular weakness, muscular cramps and, in the extreme, heat exhaustion and heat cramps.