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The answer to this question is fairly obvious is it not? Sodium Chloride (the chemical name for Salt, the culinary cooking condiment not the International Treaty on Weapons limitation) is an essential element in the life of human beings. Most people think of Salt purely in terms of that little white food seasoning found in shakers on virtually very food table the world over. Salt was of crucial importance in Ancient times as part of the economic transactions over slaves, hence the phrase Not worth his Salt. Wars have been fought over Salt supplies and certainly the capture of a national Salt supply has certainly played an important part in the nature of military campaigns. Salt has inspired literature and many of the more semi philosophical sayings of today (To be taken with a pinch of salt, Salt of the Earth etc) come from a fascination with Salt. References to salt can be found in one of the worlds oldest published reference books, the Chinese book The Peng-Tzao-Kan-Mu. For an ancient text and one that almost dates prehistory the book describes in almost eerie detail two processes of extracting salt that are very much in use still today. The actual requirement for the average Western Adult male is surprisingly small at 250 mg of sodium yet we still seem so addicted with the substance that the average consumption is almost 700 percent greater. So it comes as no surprise that Salt as a single substance is not only vitally important to our well being but also as one single substance probably causes us more harm than any other single substance (along with sugar). With an approach to the consumption of Salt that almost borders an epidemic in that our consumption far outstrips our need as we consume on average some 3500 mg per day. This is still more than 7 times the amount actually required and goes some way to emphasise our dependency on this white granular substance. So if this substance tastes so good how can it actually be so bad for us? Well as the Chinese have said over the past 2500 years or so, too much Salt hardens the pulse i.e. it makes the arteries harden and this can lead to High Blood Pressure. The connection between excessive consumption of Salt and Hypertension has been well documented over the years and is as reliable as one could ever expect. Does not everyone need to consume salt in order to survive? Salt is one of those substances that you could almost connect with virtually all of our external and internal bodily functions. With regards to our metabolism, Sodium helps assist the cells in our intestines in absorbing food and lastly, with sodium, the muscles in your body would not be able to contract and therefore we would not be able to move. So the sad aspect to the whole subject is that it is very much a case of too much of a good thing will cause you harm. It would appear that in this case the overall approach has got to be moderation in all things.
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