Foods rich in chlorine

Chlorine is the most important macro-element of water-salt metabolism in the human body.

In healthy people, the compound is found in almost all cells of the body, however, the highest concentration is concentrated in the skin, interstitial fluid, bone tissue, blood and lymph. In addition to regulating the acid-base balance, chlorine is involved in maintaining the osmotic balance within each cell.

This element is an effective antiseptic used to purify water from pathogens of infectious diseases: cholera, hepatitis, typhoid fever. With prolonged settling (8 – 10 hours) or boiling, chlorine evaporates.

Physical and chemical properties

Chlorine is a chemical element of the main subgroup VII group of the periodic system DI Mendeleev, with atomic number 17. For the first time, the pure compound was isolated in 1774 by the German chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele in Sweden. This element is a chemically active non-metal, a member of the halogen group. Elemental chlorine under normal conditions (0 degrees) is a poisonous gas of yellow-green color with a sharp “suffocating” odor, which is X times a “heavier” air.

The compound reacts with almost all chemical elements, forming chlorides (except nitrogen, oxygen, carbon, inert gases). When dissolved in alkalis or water, it dismutes, passing into hypochlorous and hydrochloric acids.

In nature, chlorine is found only in the composition of mineral compounds: sylvite KCl, halite NaCl, sylvinite KCl · NaCl, carnallite KCl · MgCl2 · 6X2O, bischofite MgCl2 · 6H2O, kainite KCl · MgSO4N.X.N.X. At the same time, its main reserves are concentrated in salts of sea and ocean waters, the content of which starts from 3 grams per liter.

In a healthy body of an adult, with a body weight of 80 kilogram, there is at least 95 gram of chlorine.

Biological role

The primary “task” of chlorine is to maintain a constant osmotic pressure in the blood, lymph, intracellular fluids, which potentiates the removal of excess waste substances from the body and the distribution of beneficial compounds in tissues, cells and blood vessels.

Other properties of the macro:

• participates in the mechanisms of transportation of substances into the cells;
• improves digestion, due to the presence in the gastric juice;
• “responsible” for the full functioning of the brain, including the transmission of nerve impulses between neurons;
• potentiates the breakdown of fats;
• regulates the acid – alkaline balance in the body;
• prevents puffiness;
• normalizes blood pressure;
• activates amylase;
• improves the functioning of the cardiovascular system;
• protects the body from dehydration;
• maintains normal cell pH;
• supports red blood cell viability;
• potentiates the elimination of carbon dioxide, slags, toxins from cells and tissues;
• improves the functional state of the liver;
• helps the joint tissue stay flexible and resilient.

Biochemical reactions in the human body, in which sodium and potassium ions participate, occur only in the presence of chlorine.

Daily rate

For healthy people, the daily requirement for chlorine is 4000 – 6000 milligrams.

With a balanced diet, the compound in the required volume comes with food. At present, the upper permissible limit for chlorine intake has not been established, but the minimum dosage is at least 800 milligrams per day.

For children, the daily requirement for chlorides varies from 300 to 2300 milligrams, depending on the age of the child.

The daily dosage of the macro is:

• for babies up to 3 months – 300 milligrams;
• for babies 4 – 6 months – 450 milligrams;
• for babies up to one year – 550 milligrams;
• for children from 1 to 3 years – 800 milligrams;
• for preschoolers (5 – 7 years old) – 1100 milligrams;
• for schoolchildren from 7 to 11 years – 1700 milligrams;
• for teenagers up to 14 years – 1900 milligrams;
• for boys from 14 to 17 years – 2300 milligrams.

The need for chlorine increases with hot weather, intense sports, increased water consumption, and profuse sweating.

Insufficiency and excess of chlorine in the body

Considering that the products prepared for the future contain salt, and the purification of tap water is carried out with the help of chlorine, the lack of chlorides in a healthy body is a rare occurrence. However, often a macronutrient deficiency occurs against the background of the pathological function of the internal organs.

Causes provoking a lack of chlorine in the body:

• prolonged adherence to salt-free diets, fasting;
• increased sweating:
• conditions involving dehydration (vomiting, frequent urination);
• abuse of laxatives, corticosteroids and diuretics;
• artificial feeding of babies;
• violation of the adrenal glands;
• inflammation and other diseases of the digestive tract (perforated ulcers of the duodenum and stomach, peritonitis);
• pathologies associated with an increase in the concentration of intercellular substance;
• adrenocortical insufficiency.

These factors in 80% of cases provoke destabilization of the acid-base balance, which entails a violation of metabolic processes in the body.

Symptoms of hypochloremia:

• drowsiness, lethargy;
• muscle weakness;
• hair loss;
• slowing down of mental abilities;
• “Crumbling” of the teeth;
• swelling;
• lowering blood pressure;
• loss of appetite, weight;
• nausea, vomiting;
• increasing the residual concentration of nitrogen in the blood;
• convulsions;
• dry mouth;
• “memory losses;
• urination disorders.

A sharp decrease in blood chlorine on the background of acute hypochloraemia is fraught with the development of a serious condition up to coma or death.

Excess chlorine in 80% of cases occurs in people working in the pharmaceutical, chemical, pulp and paper and textile industries. Remember, inhalation of concentrated chlorine vapors has a detrimental effect on the human body due to inhibition of the respiratory center and “burning” of the bronchial trunk.

In everyday life, an overdose of the macro is almost impossible, since 90-95% of the substance is excreted in the urine, 4 – 8% in the feces, 1 – 2% in the sweat.

Consider what factors provoke hyperchloremia (excessive increase in the concentration of chlorine in the blood).

1. Acute kidney failure.
2. Diabetes insipidus.
3. Prolonged diarrhea
4. Salicylate poisoning.
5. Acidosis of renal tubules.
6. Hyperfunction of the adrenal cortex.
7. Damage to the hypothalamus.
8. Abuse of androgens, corticosteroids, estrogens, thiazides.

In addition, disinfection of drinking water with chlorine leads to the formation of carcinogenic compounds (chloroform, chlorophenol, chlorides) in it, which provoke the development of respiratory diseases, gastritis, pneumonia.

Symptoms of hyperchloremia:

• acrid dry cough;
• pain in the chest;
• pain in the eyes;
• dyspeptic disorders: nausea, vomiting, dry mouth;
• lacrimation;
• Strong headache;
• heaviness in the stomach;
• flatulence.

If you do not stop hyperchloremia for a long time, there is an accumulation of water in the tissues and organs, which leads to a persistent increase in blood pressure. In severe cases, an excess of substance in the body is accompanied by a rise in body temperature and toxic pulmonary edema. To stabilize the water-salt balance will help reduce the amount of salt consumed, as well as quality control of drinking water.

For the dechlorination of the liquid, it is advisable to use multi-level cleaning mechanisms, carbon filters, boil or defend it for 6 – 8 hours.

Chlorine Sources

In addition to chlorinated water, sodium chloride or common table salt is a natural storehouse of a macrocell. With this product, up to 90% of the daily rate of the compound enters the human body. In addition, it is present in seafood, cereals, animal proteins, vegetables, fruits and herbs.

Interestingly, adding a pinch of salt to the finished dish increases the concentration of chlorine in food by 3-5 times.

Conclusion

Chlorine is the most important nutrient for the human body, which is part of almost all skin cells, blood and bone tissue.

This substance is involved in the formation of gastric juice, stimulating the production of enzymes, the formation of blood plasma. The compound plays a key role in maintaining the acid-base and osmotic balance in the lymph, blood, and cerebrospinal fluid. Along with this, chlorides potentiate the deposition of glycogen in the liver tissues, as a result of which the energy potential of the body increases, especially during physical exertion.

An imbalance of chlorine in the body in 80% of cases is accompanied by a deterioration in general well-being and the appearance of complications from the neuromuscular or cardiovascular systems.

The highest chlorine content in ordinary table salt, which is why hypochloremia in humans is rare.