Chloride is an essential mineral within the body needed to balance fluid levels and electrolytes. It is also necessary to produce stomach acid in breaking down food. Chloride is vital for proper body functioning and is found naturally in various foods.
In the bloodstream, chloride works with other vital minerals to help the body maintain an electrolyte balance. It also helps form hydrochloric acid, which aids in digestion.
Chloride is essential to life; you can find it in foods such as table salt, sea salt, olives, and celery, allowing cells to transmit signals to one another.
Chloride is also a natural part of gastric secretions, saliva, and sweat and helps to keep chloride levels in balance with other electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, and magnesium.
An influx of chloride in the body can be caused by excessive sodium consumption or by dehydration. Too much sodium can lead to high levels of chloride in the blood.
Chloride helps to regulate blood pressure, as too much or too little chloride can contribute to hypertension or hypotension.
Chloride deficiency is rare but can be caused by long-term vomiting or digestive ailments. Symptoms can include muscle weakness, decreased appetite, and abnormal heart rhythms.
To maintain healthy chloride levels, the kidneys remove any excess chloride from the body, excreting it in the waste form in the urine.
Chloride is also found and absorbed from other sources such as swimming pools, salty foods, and processed foods.
Besides being beneficial to the human body, chloride is also a preservative in food, making items last longer.
When chloride combines with hydrogen, it forms hydrochloric acid, which has a variety of uses, such as in the production of cleaning products, fertilizers, and pharmaceuticals.
