Key Takeaways
- Iodized salt contains iodine, which supports thyroid hormone production and is particularly important for a child’s growth and metabolism.
- Unless you’re diagnosed with an iodine deficiency, iodized salt is not superior to noniodized salt. You need only 1.5 teaspoons of iodized salt per day to meet iodine needs.
- Too much sodium from either type of salt can negatively impact heart health and blood pressure levels.
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Overview
Salt, or sodium chloride, is one of the most common household seasonings and an essential part of a balanced diet. But consuming too much sodium may not be good for your heart health and may lead to high blood pressure.
You may commonly see iodized salt sold as table salt or in salt shakers, though you can also purchase a noniodized version. Iodized salt is a mixture of sodium chloride and the mineral iodine.
Iodine is an essential mineral that supports your thyroid gland in producing thyroid hormones. These hormones are especially important in young children for growth and metabolism.
What is the difference between iodized and noniodized salt?
Your body needs iodine to produce thyroid hormones, which help regulate your metabolism. In children and unborn babies, thyroid hormones are essential for developing the brain and skeleton.
Iodized salt is an effective and easy way to incorporate iodine into your diet. The United States started adding iodine to table salt in the 1920s, and the majority of Americans get enough iodine through their daily food intake.
The differences between iodized and noniodized salt include:
| Salt | Iodized (table) salt | |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | a mineral containing sodium, chloride, and trace amounts of other minerals | a form of salt that contains iodine additives |
| Iodine | none | added |
| Where does it come from | left behind in evaporated ocean water fields | from underground salt mines |
| Appearance | sometimes larger salt crystals | small grains |
Is one of them better for you?
Unless you have received an iodine deficiency diagnosis, iodized salt is no better for you than noniodized salt.
There is around a quarter teaspoon (tsp) of iodine in 1 tsp of iodized salt, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). You need only 1.5 tsp of iodized salt per day to meet your body’s iodine needs. This makes iodized salt an easy and effective way to prevent or manage iodine deficiency without having to take an iodine supplement.
Excessive amounts of sodium, with or without iodine, may harm your heart health.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), you should avoid consuming more than 5 grams of sodium per day to prevent cardiovascular disease, stroke, and coronary heart disease.
Higher amounts of iodine can also cause health concerns, including thyroid disorders in newborn babies and older adults. Do not consume more than 4 tsp of iodized salt per day, the NIH advises.
Sodium chloride and medications
As well as being an important part of your diet, salt also has medicinal uses.
When a doctor prescribes salt, they will often refer to it as sodium chloride. When sodium chloride mixes with water, it creates a saline solution that is an essential part of many different medical treatments and procedures.
Different medical uses for saline solutions include:
| Medical use | |
|---|---|
| Wound cleaning | to wash and clean a wound before further treatment |
| Inhalation | to help create mucus to encourage you to cough it up |
| Eye drops | to treat dry eyes or redness |
| Nasal irrigation | to help clear the sinuses and keep them moist |
| Intravenous (IV) drips | to help restore hydration and electrolytes, often after surgical procedures |
| Saline flush | to make sure a catheter line is clean of medications |
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Get free cardWhy is iodine added to salt?
Adding iodine to table salt is an effective, cost-saving, and easy way to ensure you get enough iodine in your diet.
Before the fortification of salt with iodine, lots of people in the United States had iodine deficiencies. In the 1920s, between 26–70% of children in the Northwestern regions of the U.S. had visible goiter, which makes the thyroid gland swell.
Now, more than 90% of American households have access to enough iodine in their diet.
Typically, iodine is added to table salt because more people consume table salt than other types of salt. That said, you can buy noniodized table salt.
Types of noniodized salt include:
- kosher salt
- sea salt
- Himalayan rock salt
Noniodized salt contains other minerals such as iron, calcium, and magnesium.
Where do salt supplies come from?
Some types of noniodized salt, such as kosher salt or sea salt, often come directly from the ocean. Ocean or sea water evaporates in low-lying land, and people harvest the remaining salt crystals once the water is gone. This salt contains more natural minerals than table salt.
Table salt typically comes from underground salt mines. Pumping water underground creates brine by mixing with underground salt deposits. This brine evaporates on the surface, leaving behind what we know as table salt.
Can iodized salt help with iodine deficiency?
Iodized salt can help with iodine deficiency. Simply including 1 or 2 tsp of iodized salt in your daily diet can help prevent or treat iodine deficiency.
If your iodine intake drops below 10–20 micrograms per day, low levels of thyroid hormone (hypothyroidism) can develop over time.
Additionally, young children and pregnant people need to ensure they are getting enough iodine, as a deficiency may cause developmental delays.
Summary
Table salt may be iodized salt, which means that iodine has been added to it. Iodized salt allows easy access to iodine, an essential mineral for development and thyroid function.
Sea salt, Himalayan salt, and kosher salt are not iodized.
If you are eating a balanced diet, you are likely to be getting enough iodine through dairy products or seafood. But if you are at risk of developing an iodine deficiency, iodized salt may be something to consider adding to your diet.
Too much salt of any type can cause cardiovascular disease and other health complications, so try to ensure you do not exceed the daily recommended amount of 4 tsp per day.
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