How does the intake of
salt help our body?
The
human body contains about 65% of water. Some body parts have very high water
contains for instance muscles contain 75% water while liver 70% content. The
water present in the body has common salt dissolved in it. To body we eat salt.
Now the question rises why should we maintain a certain level of salt in our
body?
Salt is an essential component in our body
According to one scientific theory, all land animals
including man, are the descendants of organisms that came from the sea. The
body fluid of this creature had a high content of seawater. Since they ware
born in the seas, they were not able to survive without salt water. When these
creatures shifted to dry land, they retained of the body were accustomed to it.
Once as there could not get it from the sea, to make up to deficiency of salt,
they started consuming salt.
Carnivorous animals do not need extra salt, since their
salt requirement is fulfilled by the amount of salt present in the meat they
consume. This is true of human beings also. Non vegetarians need only small
quantities of salt. Eskimos who are mainly non vegetarians take very little
salt.
Those who live on land need more salt. In the ancient Mexico , common
salt was treated so precious that people used to worship it as god. The word
salary comes from the word salt because in roman time’s solarium of allowance
of money for salt was given to officers and men in the roman army. Most of the
salt in our body is stored in the skin. The excretions from our body deplore
the amount of salt in our body. If we consume food without salt, the amount of
salt the amount of salt in the blood reduces in which case the salt stored in
the skin gets used up. The body is mainly done by the kidneys and skin as
sweat.
Salt is essential for effective functioning of our body.
Today iodized salt is consumed to meet the iodine requirement in our body.
Iodine deficiency cause ailments like goiter and congenital disease like
cretinism. Some medical authorities opine that excess of salt intake increases
the risk of high blood pressure and hence leads to hear attack.