Salt And Its Uses Essay, Research Paper

Salt and Its Uses

As we know, salt is the most useful resource found on earth. In Ancient

Rome, salt was used as part of the salary to the soldiers. From this, we can

see that salt was as valuable as gold in the past.

In our daily life, besides making nutritious food more palatable, salt

is very useful in making bakery products, canned and frozen foods. Salt is a

good preservative that retards the growth of micro-organisms to make food

storage possible for a long period of timie before refrigeration.

Recently, an opinion that is harmful to our health was raised by Dr.

Arthur Hull Hayes, Jr,. former comissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug

Admistration in 1981. The American Heart Dissociation, the American Medical

Association also joined the low-salt appeal. They believe that sodium salt is

connected with heart disease, circulator disorder, stroke and even early death.

By many doctors and researchers are now beginning to feel that salt has

gone too far. At the University of Alabama, a short-term research has been

done on 150 people on the effect of the intake of salt related to high blood

pressure. Result shows that those with normal blood pressure experience no

change at all when placed in a extremely low salt diet, or later when salt was

introduced, Of the hypertensive subjects, half of those on the low salt diet did

experience a drop in blood pressure, which returned to its previous leel when

salt was introduced.

Of course, these are other researcherswhgich tend to support the

findings. A small Indiana study showed that when normal individuals took large

amount of salt, the bolld pressure did not consistenly rise into the

hypertensive range. Also, study in Israel showed that a low-calorie diet could

reduce blood pressure without changing salt consumption. After viewing research

statistics, we should know that salt is not exactly harmful to us. In fact, our

bodies have a continual need for salt because our bodies need sodium and

chloride ions each with a different task.

Chloride maintains the balance of water in cells and its environment.

It also plays a part of digestion. Sodium assists in regulating the volumn of

blood and blood pressure. Also, it facilitates the transmission of nerve

impulses and is necessary for heart and muscle contraction. Without this, our

bodies could not function properly. On our diets, how much salt is too much??

Medical experts agrees with the daily intake of salt for normal person should be

around 4 to 10 grams a day. But those with kidney problem may have to limit

dietary salt, if their doctor advises.

The cause of hypertension consists of a number of factors. Such as

deficiencies in calcium, potassium and obesity. In conclusion, salt restriction

may harm more people than it helps. Unless your doctor has proven that you have

a salt related health problem, there is no reason to give salt up!!