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A nutrient is any element or compound necessary for or contributing to an organism's metabolism, growth, or other functioning. Click name for details Arsenic Biotin Boron Calcium Carbohydrates Carnitine Carotenoids Chloride Choline Chromium Copper Energy Fiber Fluoride Folate Iodine Iron Lipids Magnesium Manganese Molybdenum Niacin Nickel Pantothenic acid Phosphorus Phyto-chemicals Potassium Protein Riboflavin Selenium Silicon Sodium Thiamin Vanadium Vitamin A Vitamin B 12 Vitamin B 6 Vitamin C Vitamin D Vitamin E Vitamin K Zinc Further Trace Elements

Chloride is an anion generally consumed as sodium chloride (NaCl) or table salt.

Adequate intake of sodium chloride is required for maintenance of extracellular fluid volume. Chloride is both actively and passively absorbed. Urine excretion reflects chloride intake, with low or no chloride found in deficiency states. In general chloride has received little attention in dietary assessment and has been omitted from food composition tables.

Deficiencies:

An adequate intake of sodium chloride to sustain losses may result in hypotension (low blood pressure). Depending on intake of "free" water, hyponatremia and hypochloremia may ensue, such as in water overload, wasting, and trauma with sequestration of extracellular fluid as in burns.

Selective chloride deficiency (without sodium deficiency) may result from vomiting, a familial autosomal recessive condition with chronic diarrhea and defective chloride reabsorption (Barter's Syndrome) also causes hypochloremia. Renal tubular disorders, cystic fibrosis with excessive sweating and loss of chloride in the perspiration and diuretic use may also cause low chloride states.

Deficiency of chloride alone leads to contraction of extracellular fluid volume and metabolic alkalosis which, in turn, leads to a deficiency of potassium by increasing urinary excretion of potassium.

Diet recommendations:

High sodium, low chloride diets should be avoided. In the absence of sodium chloride losing disorders (e.g., excessive sweating, cystic fibrosis, Addison's disease) several health agencies have recommended that the general population not consume more than 6 g NaCl/day. This recommendation may be of benefit in decreasing cardiovascular morbidity and mortality associated with higher levels of blood pressure in the resting stat.

The minimal daily requirement for sodium chloride for normal individuals is less than 2 g NaCl/day.

For chloride alone, the Estimated Minimum Requirements per day set by the Food and Nutrition Board are as follows: infants: 0-6 months, 180 mg; 6 months-11 months, 300 mg; 1 year, 350 mg; 2-5 years, 500 mg; 6-9 years, 600 mg; and adolescents and adults, 750 mg.

Food sources:

With few exceptions (e.g., monosodium glutamate and sodium bicarbonate) sodium and chloride are most often consumed as sodium chloride (salt). Human milk contains about 420 mg/L and infant formula is now required to contain 55-65 mg/100 kcal and is not to exceed 150 mg/100 Kcal. Undiluted cow's milk contains about 900-1020 mg/L. Infant formula contains 10.6-13.5 mEq/L and formula for older infants (follow-up formula), 14-19.2 mEq/L. Recommended intakes are 2-4 mEq/L/Kg for infants and children and 60-150 mEq (total) adolescents.

Toxicity:

The subject of sodium toxicity os still controversial. There is no question that it is noxious when consumed acutely in large quantities and there is little doubt as to cause and effect

Epidemiological, clinical, and animal studies show that chronic excess sodium ingestion acting upon a substrate of genetic susceptibility, is an important etiologic factor in essential hypertension and the expression of its results. Positive correlations have also have been obtained between dietary salt and the incidence of stroke and gastric cancer.

Dietary potassium appears to confer some degree of protection from the toxic properties of sodium through some unknown mechanism.

Available evidence indicates that a suitable intake of salt for man might be approximately 3.5 g/day and probably less. Salt consumption in most developed countries ranges between 8 to 40 g/day, and modern methods of food processing and preparation deplete the protective potassium.

Chemical information on Chlorine

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