Chloride plays an important role in almost all metabolic processes in our body. You can find out more facts about the essential Elektroylt in this article.
Chloride: characteristics and functions
Chloride is a negatively charged ion – an anion. Together with other electrolytes like sodium or potassiumthat are positively or negatively charged, it creates electrical voltage. This voltage enables signals to be passed between cells. This means that chloride plays an important role in nerve conduction.
Chloride also fulfills important functions at
- regulating the water balance,
- nearly all metabolic processes,
- digestion,
- the defense against pathogens
- and the regulation of the acid-base balance.
We have to add chloride to our bodies through food. This is usually done using table salt. There chloride is bound to the positively charged ion sodium and arrives as Sodium chloride in our organism. The electrolyte is eliminated through the kidneys.
Too Much Chloride?
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According to the German Society for Nutrition (DGE) should be taken daily by adults and adolescents aged 15 and over 2,300 milligrams of chloride take up. Lower values ​​apply to children. As sodium chloride, we absorb the electrolyte not only from table salt itself, but also from many processed and salty products. These include, for example, bread, ready meals, chips, cheese and sausage products.
According to Information from the DGE chloride deficiency is therefore not a problem in Germany. On the contrary, because we tend to consume excessive amounts of salt. If we take too much salt in the long term, this has a negative effect on our blood pressure, among other things favors diseases such as heart attacks, strokes, and vascular disease. You can find out more about this topic here: Too Much Salt: Signs and How to Avoid Salty Foods.
Since we always ingest chloride together with sodium, it is still unclear to what extent chloride alone contributes to these negative effects. Due to the inadequate scientific evidence, there are still no EU recommendations for a maximum amount of chloride that people should not exceed during the day.
Chloride Deficiency and Excess: Possible Causes
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If doctors suspect that your chloride levels are too high or too low, blood will be drawn and then examined in the laboratory. According to Netdoktor, the control value for chloride is 96 to 110 mmol / l for adults and 95 to 112 mmol / l for children and babies.
If your score is too high, it may be due to an unhealthy and salty diet. Other causes can include autoimmune diseases, diabetes or kidney damage. Also at chronic diarrhea Our chloride levels sometimes skyrocket.
If the chloride value is too low, you may suffer from a general lack of electrolytes due to heavy sweating or vomiting, according to Netdoktor. In these cases it is usually enough to consume a little more salt. Sometimes an infusion is also necessary. Be sure to get medical advice, including one more serious illness (such as metabolic diseases) can be behind a low chloride level.
Read more on Techzle.com:
- Make electrolyte solution yourself: first aid for diarrheal diseases
- Sodium: This is how important the mineral is for the body
- Sodium chloride: its effects in shampoo and cosmetics