Sea Salt vs. Table Salt: Health Effects and Health Benefits
Sea salt vs. table salt production
salt is usually produced using solar evaporation of sea water or water from salt lakes.
Production of table salt involves mining and use of vacuum pan
evaporators for extraction at very high temperature.
Sea salt vs. table salt composition
As a result, both types of salt have over 99.9% sodium chloride with the same sodium content. However, sea salt, due to more gentle production
methods, has a higher mineral content. For example, magnesium can be at the
level of about 2,000 ppm (parts per million). Table salt has large
amounts of iodine added (sufficient to produce health benefits), as well as an
anti-caking chemical that contains aluminum.
Sea salt vs. table salt: nutrition and health benefits
Even though nearly all people consume salt every day, there are virtually no
studies that compared health benefits of sea salt vs. table salt. After using medical search engines, only one such study
was found. It was conducted at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New
Jersey, Maplewood. This study compared effects of tap water vs. distilled water
and table salt vs. sea salt on
blood pressure in rats over 4 month period of time. The abstract of this study is
Soviet and Russian breathing doctors (over 150 medical professionals)
suggested that sea salt health benefits are particularly noticeable in those
people who produce large amounts of mucus (sputum or phlegm) due to their
respiratory problems (asthma, bronchitis, cystic fibrosis, and so forth). They
also suggested that table salt is not
suited for human ingestion due to aluminum and due to other causes.
These doctors did not discover any adverse effects of large amounts of sea
salt on most people, including those with high blood pressure. Furthermore,
since most of their patients reported better well-being when using sea salt,
leading Soviet physiologist Dr KP Buteyko, MD, PhD, suggested to use additional
amounts of sea salt (up to 1/2-1 teaspoon per day) every day for increased-body
oxygenation. Even people with severe gastritis, GERD and other digestive
problems do not have any adverse reactions to extra sea salt if they apply the
Instructions to use sea salt for health benefits
Dissolve 1/2-1 teaspoon of sea salt in a
glass of spring or purified warm (or room temperature) water. Sip it slowly on
an empty stomach when you start using it. Later, after 1-2 weeks, you can use it
after meals or at any other time. Additional suggestions are:
- People with serious kidney problems need to follow their guidelines related to
daily sodium intake.
- People with asthma or inflammation of airways need to use warm water only.
- People with gastritis should sip it slowly on an empty stomach until they
solve their health problems.
It seems that all evidence points out that table salt is not good for human
(and even rat) health. It is much better to use only sea salt for human nutrition.
In order to avoid iodine deficiency, one can include a small amount of sea
weeds in a diet. Seaweeds have additional benefits due to high content of trace
and rare minerals.
Many researchers believe that sea salt, when dissolved in purified or clean
water, is able to restructure water-forming clusters, while table salt does not
have this ability. Some Buteyko practitioners heavily emphasize benefits of
supplemental-sea salt and nearly insist that they use additional-sea salt every
There are possible additional benefits when one breathes through sea salt or
rock salt when using the Frolov device or Amazing DIY breathing device to
increase body-oxygen content, especially for people with problems including the
lungs and airways or with excessive mucus production.
Warning. Many health-conscious people and Buteyko students use only
sea salt and do not use table salt (often at all). This can often cause mild,
moderate or serious deficiency in body reserves of iodine, with corresponding
symptoms, such as more fatigue, goiter, sleepiness, mental depression, weight
gain, and decreased body temperatures. For a simple test and solutions to
this challenge, see a page about a great and simple
iodine deficiency test.
References for sea salt vs. table salt differences
Flowers SW, Jamal IA, Bogden J, Thanki K, Ballester H, Hypertension
induction in Dahl rats, J Natl Med Assoc. 1990 Dec;82(12):837-40.
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Maplewood.
There is experimental and epidemiologic evidence that some minerals and trace
elements play a role in hypertension. We designed an experiment in which salt
and water sources were manipulated to examine the possible impact of this
relationship. A strain of rats (Dahl rats) known to become hypertensive with
sodium chloride ingestion was used to study the effect of salt source and water
source on the induction of hypertension. The group on tap water and table salt
had blood pressures (184 mmHg +/- 19) significantly higher than every other
group in the experiment. The experimental animals receiving tap water plus table
salt had the highest blood pressure levels, although they consumed the lowest
quantity of sodium. Analysis of the tap water samples showed "soft water" by
analysis of calcium and magnesium concentration. This could adversely affect
blood pressure. The relatively high magnesium concentration in sun evaporated
sea salt may play a protective role in hypertension induction. The zinc and
copper present in tap water may play an exacerbating role.
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