Importance of Salt

Salt is essential to human life and the functioning of the human body, which is why we could never live without it. This is also why in the days of antiquity, salt could be worth more than gold, since you can't preserve meats with gold, but could easily do so with salt. This was of extreme importance in the days when we lived without refrigeration and modern preservatives.

Here are some of important functions of salt in the body:

• Salt is a strong anti-stress element for the body.
• Salt is used for extracting excess acidity from inside the cells, particularly brain cells.
• Salt is used for clearing the lungs of mucous plugs and sticky phlegm, particularly in asthma, emphysema and cystic fibrosis sufferers.
• Salt is essential for the prevention of muscle cramps.

Quantity of Salt:

Based on the requirements of a human body, an average adult requires an intake of 4.2g salt per day. The minimum requirement is 1.5g. Pro-salt campaigners argue that any healthy body will process just the right amount of salt it needs and the kidneys will dispose of any surplus.

Excess Salt:

Studies have indicated that too much salt consumption is linked to health problems, such as hypertension (high blood pressure) and osteoporosis. If you suffer from hypertension you would benefit from consuming less salt. Very young children, very elderly people, as well as people with kidney disease cannot excrete sodium and regulate body fluid efficiently.