Page 28 - Spring2012

Salt and our Health:

Exposing Mainstream Myths

by Morton Satin, PhD, Vice President,

Science and Reseach, The Salt Institute

A

side from water, salt (sodium chloride) is the most
ubiquitous food ingredient consumed by human-

kind. It is a nutrient that is essential to life and
good health and has always been the predominant posi-

tive ion in extracellular body fluid for all multi-cellular
animals.
Having originally evolved from a marine environment, the human body's
salt-to-water ratio is critical to metabolism. Human plasma contains 0.9
percent sodium chloride, most of it coming from food and a small amount
from water. The fundamental indicator of salt intake suffiency points to 1.5
teaspoons of salt per day as the basic human requirement.

28 Wise Traditions SPRING 2012 SPRING 2012 Wise Traditions

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