Difference negligible in table, sea salt sodium
My husband, at age 87, is getting concerned about sodium intake. I would like to know if sea salt has less sodium than processed brands such as Morton table salt.
A: Both table salt and sea salt are sodium chloride. Though table salt has been refined down to almost pure sodium chloride, any difference in sodium content is likely to be negligible on a weight-for-weight basis.
The key difference between the two might be iodine content.
Table salt is a readily available source of iodine. Manufacturers began adding iodine to table salt in the 1920s to prevent goiter (enlargement of the thyroid gland) caused by iodine deficiency.
Sea salt may have less iodine than table salt, though iodized forms of sea salt might be available.
Iodine deficiency is becoming more common, perhaps because more people are shunning the salt shaker as a way to limit sodium intake. (One researcher hypothesizes that low iodine intake might increase the risk of heart disease.)
Sea salt is a viable alternative to table salt as long as you’re getting adequate iodine from the diet (e.g., iodine-rich seafood) or a multivitamin. The latter generally provides the RDA for iodine (150 mcg).
Be aware that sodium chloride is added to many processed foods as a flavor-enhancer and preservative, particularly if you’re on a low-sodium diet. Note that the sodium chloride used in processed foods is not iodized.
Hypertension (high blood pressure) guidelines typically recommend restricting sodium intake to two to three grams daily.
Don’t get salt (sodium chloride) and sodium confused. For example, five grams of sodium chloride provides two grams of sodium.
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A little known factoid: Higher sodium intake increases your calcium needs. As sodium intake climbs, more calcium is lost in the urine.
Q: My husband and I enjoy your column in the Sun Herald and find it helpful in trying to get the necessary vitamins in our aging lives. We are both 65 and I have been diagnosed with osteopenia. A recent column mentioned that Nexium could impair the absorption of calcium. Does over-the-counter Prilosec have the same effect? We take Prilosec as well as calcium and vitamin D3.
A: Osteopenia indicates bone loss and might be thought of as pre-osteoporosis.
Calcium compounds are most efficiently absorbed when stomach acid is high. This is the reason for the general recommendation to take calcium supplements with meals. Food increases stomach acid secretion.
Prilosec (omeprazole), like Nexium, reduces stomach acid and so may impair the absorption of some calcium supplements.
However, as I said in the prior column, this is mainly a theoretical consideration. There doesn’t appear to be any evidence that, under ordinary circumstances, these drugs reduce levels of calcium in the blood.
Diminished stomach acid is more likely to affect the absorption of calcium carbonate than calcium citrate. However, calcium citrate contains only about half as much calcium as calcium carbonate, so you would have to take more of a citrate product to get the same amount of calcium.