into the body fluids Sensors in Jillian's brain DOES SALT MAKE YOU THIRSTY tell her she's thirsty so Scientists used to think that she drinks more water when people eat a lot of salt Balance is restored they get thirsty That's been the theory for decades But there may be more to the SALT OR story according to a 2017 SODIUM study Researchers fed two Many people use the groups of men identical diets But researchers changed the terms salt and sodium level of salt in the food When interchangeably But the men ate more salt they drank less The extra sodium they are different Salt may have triggered their is a natural mineral A bodies to conserve water mineral is a substance They were less thirsty not more The study has caused found in the earth scientists to rethink how the that does not come body balances salt and water from a plant or animal Salt is composed of two elements The elements are sodium and chloride Sodium's chemical symbol is Na Chloride's is Cl 6
Chloride is a form of chlorine The chemical name of salt is sodium chloride or NaCl for short Approximately 60 percent of salt is chloride Only 40 percent is sodium But when it comes to health sodium can play a large role AN EDIBLE ROCK NaCl is a rock It's the only rock that humans eat It dissolves in water Most of the salt we eat comes from oceans or deep in the earth Underground salt is mined Salt from oceans is produced through evaporation Canals divert seawater into shallow ponds The water slowly dries up Salt is left behind and gathered Every year people around the world consume approximately 187 million short tons 170 metric tons of salt SALTY BODIES If you lick your upper lip after sweating it tastes salty That's because sweat contains chloride and sodium An average adult's body has approximately 3.5 ounces 100 grams of sodium That's enough to fill a salt 7
Mining companies bring underground salt to the surface to prepare for sale shaker or two Blood and the fluids around body cells contain sodium Our bodies can't make sodium We get it from foods and drinks We constantly lose sodium when we 8
cry sweat or go to the bathroom We must replace the sodium by eating salt AN ESSENTIAL NUTRIENT There are some nutrients the body needs but can't make or can't make enough of to meet its needs These are called essential nutrients Sodium is an essential nutrient Sodium is SALT IN HISTORY Salt has always been a part of human diets Humans have sprinkled salt on food for thousands of years People also used salt to preserve food before refrigeration Salt is cheap and easy to get today But that wasn't always the case In earlier times salt was hard to find Collecting it was hard work That made it expensive Salt was so valuable that ancient Greeks used it as money The word salary is from the Latin word for salt Even now people say someone is worth his or her salt as a compliment also a micronutrient The body only needs a small amount of it to work But within this category sodium is a major mineral That means the body 9
