Chloride

Chloride, as a mineral and electrolyte, has many important functions in the body including:

• helping to maintain water balance and osmotic pressure
• maintaining the body’s acid – base balance
• assisting in the regulation of the renin – angiostensin – aldosterone system (more commonly known as the blood pressure system)

Most dietary chloride comes from sodium chloride, Na⁺Cl^- (table salt), which is about 60 % chloride by weight. It is thought that the chloride found in drinking water only contributes a small part of our daily intake.

As dietary intake and metabolism of chloride and sodium typically proceed in parallel, cases of deficiency occur at a similar frequency, may be mediated by similar factors, and result in comparable symptoms, to that of hyponatraemia.  

Since chloride is excreted through urine and sweat, toxicity is extremely rare.

As mentioned before in relation to sodium, high dietary salt (of which chloride is a component) intakes disrupt the electrolyte balance of the body and may increase blood pressure and risk of stroke.  

High intake of caffeine and alcohol may hinder the uptake of chloride.