While salt is not entirely bad, unrefined salts and pink Himalayan salt still carry associated risks. This article about salt containing toxins explains the basics of salt toxicity and what you should do to prevent it.
What is Salt?
Salt, which is mostly composed of sodium chloride (NaCl), occurs naturally in salt mines and bodies of water. It can then be extracted or evaporated for human consumption.
Since 6,000 BC, humans have consumed and used salt. In fact, we once considered salt so valuable in human history that it served as a currency. This was mainly because salt was used to preserve food in times before electricity. Additionally, this method of food preservation could have been life-saving or deadly. Nevertheless, salt is still used to preserve food today, albeit in a more controlled and regulated manner. It remains a key industry in global food preservation and seasoning.[1]
Salt and Human Health
As an essential mineral, salt is vital for human life.[1] Salt is partly essential for our bodies to function because cells communicate via an electric charge. Many trace minerals are found in salt, including bromine, boron, phosphorus, zinc, silicon, iron, manganese, and copper.[2]
The body’s saltwater allows for this electrical charge, making life possible.[3]
Salt Containing Toxins?
Like meat, many disease models have mistakenly linked salt to health concerns. Epidemiological studies link these foods to health issues. They don’t separate salt and meat from the rest of the ingredients of the meals they eat, nor do they consider the quality of the food they eat.[4]
Someone who eats a homemade grass-finished steak with oven-roasted organic sweet potatoes, butter, and lots of salt is considered in the same “salty and meat-consuming” category as someone who eats a McDonald’s hamburger, deep-fried french fries in vegetable oil, and lots of iodized salt.
These associations don’t consider other lifestyle factors, such as sleep quality and exercise habits. In the end, these conclusions that blindly condemn red meat and salt as causative are blindly demonizing them.[5]
Refined salt does not equal unrefined salt. Furthermore, the extensive processing of refined salt, also known as table salt, removes many essential minerals that make salt nutritious. To prevent salt from clumping in humidity, other additives can be used to make a superfood rich in nutrients into junk food.[6]
Is unrefined salt a problem? It is not.
Salt that is not refined causes two problems: (1) it contaminates the environment in which it is found, and (2) it creates issues with how it is extracted.
Salt Containing Toxins: Sea Salt – Microplastics
Sea salt is contaminated by plastics found in oceans around the world. A study of international samples revealed that microplastics were found in every sample except one.[7] A meta-analysis on microplastic pollution in commercial salt shows that marine pollution will undoubtedly cause contamination of sea products, such as salt. This problem is widespread in the food industry as salt absorbs contaminants and transfers them to other salt products.[8]
Microplastics sound harmless because of their small size, but they can cause serious health problems, including weight gain and hormonal imbalances. In addition, these microplastics can also contain harmful compounds like plasticizers and stabilizers.[9]
Salt Containing Toxins: Pink Himalayan salt contains heavy metals.
Pink Himalayan salt is contaminated by the mining of its rock salt formations. One study examined 31 brands of pink salt and found that they were contaminated with metals such as lead, mercury, cadmium, and aluminum.[10]
One brand of pink salt exceeded the safe level established by Food Standards Australia and New Zealand by 25 percent and contained more than 130x more lead than white table salt.[10]
The Solution to Contaminated Salt
It is an essential mineral that we must consume to live. Who are we kidding? Salty food sounds stale.
There are two ways to solve the toxic salt problem. The first is that plastics don’t bioaccumulate in your body. Therefore, it’s best to minimize any unnecessary exposure. You can also get sweaty.[11]
A zeolite-clinoptilolite supplement is the best choice for those concerned about toxic substances that bioaccumulate, like heavy metals. CytoDetox(r), a powerful liposomal zeolite-clinoptilolite supplement with fulvates, supports the safe and natural removal of environmental toxic substances like pesticides and heavy metals.[12]
Summary
Poor science has wrongly linked salt with the disease. On the contrary, salt is essential for human health. Understanding the benefits of salt is crucial. Additionally, distinguishing between refined and unrefined salt is vital.
However, the world has changed with pollution, and salt can now be toxic. Despite this, unrefined salt can still be healthy. On the other hand, modern mining techniques and pollution have made sea salt and pink salt more toxic.
References:
- Cirillo, Massimo, et al. “A History of Salt”. American Journal of Nephrology. vol. 14, no. 4-6, 1994, pp. 426-431., doi:10.1159/000168759.
- Advisory Report to Secretary of Health and Human Services and Secretary of Agriculture. “Scientific Report of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee.” U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), 2015, health.gov/sites/default/files/2019-09/Scientific-Report-of-the-2015-Dietary-Guidelines-Advisory-Committee.pdf.
- X, Science. “Vital for Life, Heat and Power – What You Never Knew about Salt Water.” Phys.org, Phys.org, 14 Sept. 2018, phys.org/news/2018-09-vital-life-power-knew-salt.html.
- Vandenbroucke, Jan P et al. “Causality in epidemiology: The need for a pluralistic approach” International journal of epidemiology vol. 45,6 (2016): 1776-1786. doi:10.1093/ije/dyv341
- Alexander, Dominik D et al. “Red Meat, Colorectal Cancer: An Update on the State of the Epidemiologic Science.” Journal of the American College of Nutrition vol. 34,6 (2015): 521-43. doi:10.1080/07315724.2014.992553
- Food Insight. “The Science of Anti-Caking Agents.” Food Insight, 10 Oct. 2018, foodinsight.org/the-science-of-anti-caking-agents/.
- Karami, Ali et al. “The presence microplastics in different commercial salts.” Scientific reports vol. 7 46173. 6 Apr. 2017, doi:10.1038/srep46173
- Open overlay panel author linksDiogo Peixoto, et. al. “Microplastic Pollution in Commercial Salt for Human Consumption: A Review.” Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, Academic Press, 10 Feb. 2019, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272771418300647.
- Lim, XiaoZhi. “Microplastics Are Everywhere – but Are They Harmful?” Nature News, Nature Publishing Group, 4 May 2021, www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01143-3.
- Fayet-Moore, Flavia et al. “An Analysis Of The Mineral Composition of Pink Salt Available In Australia.” Foods (Basel Switzerland) vol. 9,10 1490. 19 Oct. 2020, doi:10.3390/foods9101490
- Genuis Stephen J. et al. “Human excretion of bisphenol-A: Blood, urine, sweat (BUS) study.” Journal of Environmental and Public Health vol. 2012 (2012): 185731. doi:10.1155/2012/185731
- Mastinu, Andrea et al. “Zeolite Clinoptilolite – Therapeutic Virtues Of An Ancient Mineral.” Molecules, Basel, Switzerland vol. 24,8 1517. 17 Apr. 2019, doi:10.3390/molecules24081517