In quantitative terms, table salt is the most widely consumed mineral in the human diet in most modern cultures. In dissolved form, table salt is positively charged sodium and negatively charged chloride ions, which play a vital role in the water balance, the nervous system, digestion, and bone structure. An adult’s body contains around 150 to 300 grams of salt and needs one to three grams a day to compensate for the loss through sweating and excretions (up to 20 grams in the case of profuse sweating or some illnesses). Search for rock salt for snow supplier in Wisconsin
Salt Consumption
Above-average salt consumption has been held responsible for high blood pressure since the 1970s, and a general low-salt diet was advised and advised as a preventive measure. A causal connection between salt consumption and high blood pressure has not yet been proven beyond doubt; epidemiological studies and even meta-studies come to different results that do not allow any clear statements.
Table salt can prevent leg cramps during exercise. The magnesium it contains is advertised as a remedy for calf cramps, but it is an enzyme activator in energy metabolism. A general lack of electrolytes often causes nocturnal calf cramps.
Salt Trade
For a long time, salt was a precious commodity that was exported from production sites to regions with salt in prehistoric times on so-called salt roads. Salt roads later became essential trade routes. The salt trade was subject to the salt tax until 1993. The work in salt was a necessary monopoly. Cities that owned the salt shelf were cautious to ensure that no other salt trade was taking place within its application area.
Risks Of Overdose
The amount of salt in the human body is controlled by hormones and kept almost constant. If the salt content is too high, excess salt is excreted through fluid expulsion, associated with a not inconsiderable loss of water. The result is an instinctive thirst. Constant misuse of salt increases the amount of water in the body and thus the weight and can damage kidney function. But consuming less than two grams a day also has a negative effect, as the low salt concentration in the person’s body stops any feeling of thirst and thus leads to dehydration.
However, there are also known cases in which excessive sudden salt consumption had a life-threatening effect. For example, a four-year-old girl died in 2005 from a forced intake of 32 grams of table salt. A comparative study of the same-age child found that even a fraction of this amount of salt, not a single child was taken voluntarily. Accidental ingestion of a fatal dose can therefore be ruled out (for an average adult: more than ten tablespoons of pure table salt).
Pourability Enhancer
Calcium carbonate (lime), magnesium carbonate, silicates, or ferrocyanides are added to improve flowability. This is because regular table salt is hygroscopic (becomes moist when exposed to air) and clumps. The hygroscopy is not caused by pure sodium chloride, but by minor impurities, for example, magnesium chloride.
The poorly soluble calcium and magnesium carbonate cause cloudiness when the salt dissolves in water. The calcium carbonate is also responsible for the discoloration of a fresh red wine stain with salt. These additives are entirely harmless for health: Potassium, calcium, and magnesium ions are essential components of drinking water, and dissolved silicates can also be found in mineral water.
The hexacyanoferrate ion is a chemically very stable complex compound, which therefore has no detectable biological effect in the low concentration used. The pourability was developed in 1911 by the American salt manufacturer Morton Salt. Click to see rock salt for snow supplier in Wisconsin