2940: Pink Himalayan Sea Salt vs. Regular Table Salt and Himalayan Salt Lamps

[00:00:00] It's another Q&A edition of Optimal Health Daily and I'm Dr. Neal Malik. Hey there, happy Friday and welcome to another Q&A edition of Optimal Health Daily, where I answer your health questions related to fitness, diet and nutrition and lots more. You send in the questions and I answer them for you. Now I'll talk about how you can send me a question at the end of today's show. So with that, let's hear today's question as we optimize your life.

[00:00:30] Hi, Dr. Neal. This is Sam in West Palm Beach, Florida. I want to first say that your podcast adds so much value to my life. I always listen before I'm going on a run or when I'm working out. So thank you for being part of my workout routine. My question for you is concerning pink Himalayan sea salt. I'm wondering if you have come across any research or evidence that backs these claims of Himalayan sea salt being a better replacement for regular salt.

[00:00:59] I'm also curious if you have seen any research about the Himalayan salt lamps and if they really do have the health benefits that they claim, such as helping with asthma or purifying the air. I look forward to your answer and I hope that you are in optimal health. Thank you for your question, Sam. And thank you so much for your kind words. I am thrilled that you find the show so helpful. Now with regards to your question, I remember attending a cooking demonstration. Now this was a few years ago.

[00:01:29] And the instructor was showing the class ways to season vegetables. When it came to adding salt, the instructor insisted we use Himalayan sea salt. They mentioned that this form of salt is less processed and therefore is better for you. Well, let's explore that a bit further and see if that's really true. Now I should start by mentioning that all salt is technically sea salt. This is because even in those underground salt mines, at one point those areas were underwater.

[00:01:56] Now salt is basically made up of two components, sodium and chloride. Which is why you'll hear some nerds like me sometimes refer to salt as sodium chloride. Basically, each form of salt contains some sodium and some chloride. But depending on how the salt is processed, once it comes out of the salt mines, it may change the relative quantities of each. Processing often leads to differences in taste and texture as well. Now when we think about the potential health effects of salt,

[00:02:24] we're often referring to the sodium itself, not so much the chloride. Too much sodium consumed for years and years can lead to an increased risk of high blood pressure in some people. Let's keep this in mind as I discuss some of the different forms of salt. Now, I'll start with just plain old sea salt. Sea salt is made by simply evaporating seawater or other forms of salty water. Usually, there is some processing involved here, but it's usually minimal. Now depending on where the original water source came from,

[00:02:53] the salt may have other minerals attached to it. These minerals may add some color and may cause the salt to have a different texture. And so with Himalayan sea salt, when it's pink, it means there are extra minerals in there that make it that pink color. So to get from sea salt to table salt, there's some more processing involved. Part of this is the removal of some of these minerals that are typically found in sea salt. Because removing the trace minerals removes some of the color.

[00:03:20] This is why table salt is consistently white, while again, pink Himalayan sea salt is pink, because it contains other trace minerals besides just the sodium and chloride. But are these extra trace minerals a good thing? I mean, we could all use some extra minerals in our diets, right? Well, unfortunately, the amounts of these extra minerals are in such small quantities, they probably don't do much for us at all. And even more importantly, in the case of some Himalayan salts specifically,

[00:03:49] plutonium has been found in some of these products. Studies have also found other potentially harmful compounds like lead, arsenic and cadmium. So if these Himalayan salts don't undergo processing to remove these compounds, well, now we may end up consuming these harmful compounds. On the other hand, table salt is processed, which removes many of these potential impurities, and again gives it its white color. Most importantly, many manufacturers add iodine during processing.

[00:04:19] Iodine is also a mineral and super important for the prevention of serious conditions. These can range from stunted growth in children to thyroid issues in adults. Many countries now iodize their salt to prevent iodine deficiency. This is why many consider table salt to be superior to other salts. And sea salt actually doesn't contain much iodine, if any at all. So you may wonder, don't we get iodine in our diets in other ways besides salt?

[00:04:45] Yeah, seafood, including seaweed, yogurt, milk and some grains contain iodine. Even though these foods are commonly consumed, there are still risks for deficiency, even for those living in the US. Now this can be partly explained by the fact that some foods can actually interfere with our body's ability to metabolize iodine. Many are surprised to find that these are actually nutritious foods like cabbage, Brussels sprouts, soy and cauliflower. So these can block the absorption of iodine in the body.

[00:05:14] We also know that most of the soil in the US is low in iodine. It didn't used to be. And salt used in processed foods like in frozen meals and boxed foods are often stripped of iodine. You may also hear that these specialty salts contain less sodium. This is true, but please note that the difference in sodium content between these specialty salts and regular old table salt is not enough to lead to any significant health effects, positive or negative. So regardless of the type of salt you prefer to use,

[00:05:42] the current recommendations by most health agencies say that adults should consume no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day. This is a little less than a teaspoon. Yes, even with the pushback from those studies about salt not being associated with an increased disease risk, we're finding that many of those studies were quite flawed. And so it couldn't hurt to just be on the safe side and keep your salt, well really sodium intake, to a moderate level. And Sam, I haven't forgotten your question about salt lamps. Salt lamps are basically like they sound.

[00:06:12] It's a clump of salt placed on top of a light bulb. Simple enough. The theory behind these is that when you run them, they change the electrical charge of the air. And by doing this, may lead to health benefits. Unfortunately, we don't know if this actually happens. So right now, there doesn't appear to be any benefit to using salt lamps. Now I'll end with a quote by one of the smartest individuals in the world, Marilyn Vos Savant. In case you weren't aware, she's in the Guinness Book of World Records for having one of the highest IQs known to humans.

[00:06:41] My friends think I'm in love with her, but I swear I just respect her for her intelligence. Anywho, she weighed in on this very topic about which type of salt we should be consuming. A reader of her column asked, which is healthier, sea salt or table salt? She mentioned that iodine is added to table salt. Sound familiar? And because of its impact on reducing iodine deficiencies worldwide, quote, table salt is healthier.

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[00:07:40] Thank you so much again for the question, Sam. If you want to submit a question to be answered right here on the show, you can email your question to health at oldpodcast.com. And don't forget, you can also call in your question. The number is 61-ILOVE-OHD. Or you can submit your audio question at oldpodcast.com. Thank you again so much for listening every day. Thank you for listening all the way through.

[00:08:09] Thank you for sharing this show with someone. And I'll see you back here over the weekend and where your optimal life awaits.