Salt: essential to health
Without salt, no life is possible. Salt is an essential mineral controlling the fluid balance of the human body. Nevertheless, salt intake is always a topic that is controversely discussed. This is why we pick up the topic of salt and health here and explain the benefits how salt influences the state of our health and well-being.
Already our ancestors knew that salt - sodium chloride (NaCl) - is essential. The hunters and gatherers, however, did not possess any chrystallized salt - they had to satisfy their salt needs in form of animal blood. When salty springs and other NaCl reservoirs were discovered, human beings settled down and started living on farming and breeding.
Salt is as important to the human organism as water: together with water, salt constitutes the basis for many metabolic processes. By steering our electrolyte and fluid balance, nutrients required can be dissolved within the organism and exhausted substances can be excreted. Salt also plays a vital role in the regulation of our nerves and muscles: it contributes to the transfer of nerve impulses, helps the utilization of iron and activates a variety of enzymes. Moreover, sufficient salt intake is a prerequisite to mental and physical fitness. A deficit of salt can result in concentration disorder and loss of energy, in headaches or even migraine. Last but not least sodium is vital to the formation of bones while chloride - an important constituent of gastric acid - is involved in the digestive processes.
Particularly important is a sufficient supply of salt to the elderly. With increasing age it
becomes increasingly difficult also to the healthy to keep the fluid balance on a constant level.
The aging organism can no longer balance deficits so easily. However, a sufficient intake of salt
is vital for human beings of any age because, like vitamins, salt cannot be produced by the body
itself.
