Salt is essential for various biochemical processes in the human body. Salt is also one of the five basic taste sensations, with its taste detected by sodium taste bud cells on the tongue.
Apart from white table salt, there are a variety of different types of salt available worldwide. One of these, pink Himalayan salt, has lately become popular amongst health-conscious people for its claimed health benefits, and it is viewed as nutritionally superior to white table salt. In addition, believers in energetic healing say that the crystalline structure of Himalayan salt stores vibrational energy, which can promote health when transferred to human cells.
Some people describe Himalayan salt as one of the purest salts available, containing a wide variety of trace minerals that the body needs, such as magnesium, potassium, and calcium. As any type of salt is mainly composed of sodium chloride (97-99%), one wonders if Himalayan salt is truly a healthier option than white table salt?
What is Himalayan salt?
Historically salt has been produced from a variety of natural sources, such as sea water, salt springs, wells, and lakes, as well as rock salt. Himalayan salt is rock salt, which is mainly sourced from salt mines in the Punjab region of Pakistan. The mines are situated in the aptly named Salt Range mountains, in the foothills south of the Himalayan range of mountains.
The concentrated pink or reddish hue of the salt crystals are due to the presence of minerals and traces of iron oxide (“rust”). The pink Himalayan salt is primarily exported in bulk and then processed and marketed in other countries.
Nutritional content of Himalayan salt:
Proponents of the health benefits of Himalayan salt argue that white table salt is highly refined and purified, while containing chemicals as anti-caking agents. In contrast Himalayan salt is claimed to be pure and it contains a variety of essential nutrients, while containing less sodium than table salt.
A proper scientific study was done in Australia in 2020 to test these claims and to determine the exact amount of minerals present in pink and white salt. Samples of different pink salts, including Himalayan salt, with iodized white table salt as a control substance, were sent to the Environmental Analysis Laboratory at Southern Cross University, (situated in Gold Coast, Australia) which is accredited with The National Association of Testing Authorities, Australia (NATA). Mass spectrometer technology was used to analyze the samples.
The findings indicated that yes, it is true that Himalayan salt contains a wide variety of minerals, but in such minute quantities that you would have to consume nearly 600% more than the World Health Organization’s recommended daily intake of salt to have any significant nutritional effect. Himalayan salt contains only a tiny amount less sodium at 395 mg/kg than white table salt at 428 mg/kg, with both in the region of around 98% sodium.
This means that the small quantities of minerals in one teaspoon (5g) of Himalayan salt would not make a clinically significant contribution to nutrient intake, as these levels are way too low, and you would need to take more than 30g instead of the recommended 5g of salt per day. Such high amounts of salt would not only be unrealistic, but also result in sodium poisoning and cases have been reported where the lethal dose for adults was indicated as 25g or more of salt.
Ingredients of white table salt:
White table salt consists of 97-99% sodium chloride and additives in tiny amounts, such as iodine and ani-caking agents.
- Iodine: Iodized salt has iodine added for health reasons, as iodine deficiency is regarded as the biggest preventable cause of mental retardation. Salt is iodized to help prevent congenital hypothyroidism (cretinism), a severe deficiency of thyroid hormone in newborns. Congenital hypothyroidism causes stunted growth, physical deformities, and impaired neurological function. This condition may result from a lack of iodine in the mother’s body during pregnancy, or a problem with the functioning of the baby’s thyroid gland. A baby’s body needs iodine to make thyroid hormones. The introduction of iodized salt in the early 20th century makes congenital hypothyroidism very rare in developed countries. In adults, iodized salt can aid normal thyroid function.
- Anti-caking agents: Anti-caking agents are added to table salt to make the salt pour smoothly and to prevent the grains from sticking/clumping together. Criticism levered against anti-caking agents claims that “chemicals” are added to the salt, but there is no evidence that the tiny amounts of anti-caking agents cause any harm.
Conclusion:
With the overwhelming ingredient in any type of salt being sodium chloride and other ingredients only present in tiny amounts, salt seems to be salt. When selecting white table salt, the iodized version may be the better option, while Himalayan pink salt appears to be the trendy option.
Sources:
Is pink Himalayan salt better than regular salt? Updated 9 February 2023. Healthline. (www.healthline.com)
Himalayan salt. Edited 12 May 2023. Wikipedia. The Free Encyclopedia. (www.wikipedia.org)
An analysis of the mineral composition of pink salt available in Australia. Published October 2020 in the journal Foods. PubMed Central. National Centre for Biotechnology Information. US National Library for Medicine. National Institutes of Health. USA. (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
The 13 amazing health benefits of Himalayan crystal salt, the purest salt on earth. Published online. Integrative Medicine of New Jersey. (www.integrativemedicineofnj.com)
What is table salt? Updated 8 September 2019. ThoughtCo. (www.thoughtco.com)
A skeptical take on sea salt. Updated 6 February 2023. Paleoleap. (www.paleoleap.com)
Congenital hypothyroidism. Updated 17 September 2018. Healthline. (www.healthline.com)
A systematic review of fatalities related to acute ingestion of salt. A need for warning labels? Published July 2017 in the journal Nutrients. PubMed Central. National Centre for Biotechnology Information. US National Library for Medicine. National Institutes of Health. USA. (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
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