Does "Internet red salt" really have an effect?

Recently, various exotic "net celebrity" imported salt has been sold on
major e-commerce platforms.
These "net red salts" are "natural", "specific origin", "contain special minerals" and other "selling points", claiming to supplement calcium and zinc
.
Are these high-priced "Internet red salts" really effective, or are they collecting IQ taxes from consumers? In this regard, industry insiders pointed out that consumers should be cautious about "net red salt" and other Internet red products
under the "gorgeous coat".

"Eating salt to supplement calcium" is not reliable

"100 square meters produce only 1 kilogram, only in summer sufficient sunshine and sea breeze, the surface of the salt water can form a thin snowflake of salt" "must be selected in the sunny and slow and stable afternoon, harvested before the arrival of dew, and only the top layer of translucent crystals" "no iodization and anti-caking agents, rich in dozens of minerals and trace elements".
.
.
When many businesses sell "net red salt", in addition to playing the appearance card and story card, they also play the health card
.
So, is the nutritional value of "net red salt" really higher? In fact, it is not
.

Taking Himalayan rose salt as an example, the merchant claims that the salt was formed 250 million years ago, pure natural, pollution-free, containing more than 98% sodium chloride, containing iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, zinc, silicon, copper and other minerals
required by the human body.
"Even if these are true, many of the trace elements contained in them are not all needed by the human body, and some are not even beneficial
to the human body.
" Li Wenjian, a doctor of nutrition from Chongqing Sports Bureau, said
.

There are also merchants who claim that Himalayan rose salt is more natural
than ordinary table salt.
In this regard, Li Qing, chief physician of Chongqing Daping Hospital, said that in fact, for edible salt, the word "natural" does not mean much
.
According to reports, edible salt mainly includes sea salt, lake salt and mineral salt, which come from seawater, natural brine and underground salt deposits
respectively.
All table salt comes from nature, not synthesis
.
The main component of edible salt is sodium chloride, as long as the purity is up to standard, the nutritional content and value of salt from different origins are not much different
.

For the statement of "eating salt to supplement calcium", industry insiders bluntly said that this statement has no scientific basis
.
In fact, eating more salt not only can not supplement calcium, but will lead to calcium loss
.
When sodium intake is too much, the body will excrete sodium, and at the same time increase the amount of urine calcium excreted, so the statement of "eating salt to supplement calcium" is not reliable
.

Li Qing believes that the trace elements in salt are negligible (except for the added nutritional fortifiers), after all, the daily salt intake is too low
.
According to the "Standards for the Use of Food Nutrition Enhancers", it is not allowed to add nutritional fortifiers
other than iodine to table salt.
As for minerals such as calcium and iron, it is unreliable to supplement them by eating salt
.

The Chongqing Consumer Council recently conducted a comparative test on 27 groups of edible salt samples from 8 brands circulating in Chongqing, mainly testing 20 indicators such as physical and chemical indicators, hygiene indicators, nutritional enhancers and main ingredient content of salt samples
.
The test results showed that no zinc was detected in 27 groups, selenium was detected in 4 groups, iron was detected in 18 groups, magnesium was detected in 23 groups of samples, and calcium was detected in 22 groups
.
Although selenium, iron, magnesium and calcium are beneficial to the human body, from the test results, regardless of the grade and price of salt, the mineral elements contained in it are very limited, so it is of little significance to supplement mineral elements by eating salt
.

Salt shopping varies scientifically from person to person

The Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2022) recommend that the average daily salt intake for adults should not exceed 5 grams
.
Such a small intake, even if the "net red salt" contains trace elements, is basically negligible
.
Li Lin, deputy director and deputy chief physician of the nutrition department of the First Hospital of Changsha, Hunan Province, said that in the face of various publicity of "net red salt", consumers need to remain rational, pay attention to reducing sodium intake, and adhere to the principle
of a balanced diet.

Gu Zhongyi, director of Beijing Dietitians Association and registered dietitian, pointed out that iodine is the main raw material for the synthesis of thyroxine, iodine deficiency will lead to thyroid hormone synthesis disorders, followed by thyroid dysfunction, which will have an impact on children's intelligence, physical ability and growth and development, so it is necessary to
take appropriate iodine.
With the exception of people with hyperthyroidism, most people can eat iodized salt
.
Moreover, salt without anti-caking agent is easy to get wet and agglomerate, and it is often necessary to crush the agglomerated salt before use, if the salt block is crushed larger, it is easy to lead to excessive
salt intake.
At present, the anti-caking agent used in compliance with the salt is stable in nature, and the amount of addition is very low, which will not cause harm
to the human body.
Gu Zhongyi said that it is basically not recommended for people to eat large particles of salt, it is more suitable for barbecue or pickled food, usually stir-frying is easy to put more, but also difficult to taste
.
In addition, there is very little research on the claim that "Himalayan salt is healthier", and there is no special effect
except that it tastes as salty.

"In the face of Internet red salt, we should maintain a clear understanding and rational view
.
" Experts pointed out that some net red salt claims to be rich in a variety of minerals required by the human body, has the effects of detoxification, regulating acid-base balance, and enhancing immunity, which has no scientific basis, "There is no evidence that there is a significant difference
in health effects between high-priced Internet red salt and general edible salt.
" ”

Professor Jiang Zhuoqin of the Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, said that the main component of salt is sodium chloride, which is the cheapest and most effective condiment, and the rest are gimmicks, salt from different origins may contain some other minerals or trace elements, but people eat less salt, and supplementing minerals through salt has little effect
.
He emphasized that although salt is a good condiment, eating too much will increase the risk
of hypertension and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

"It is not necessary to deliberately choose micronutrient-fortified salt for mineral supplementation, and consumers are advised not to believe the promotional slogans
of merchants.
" Relevant personnel of the Chongqing Municipal Consumer Council said
.
"Internet red salt" is just to take advantage of the psychology of some consumers who are curious, early adopters and even superstitious about foreign goods, and use ambiguous and exaggerated advertising to promote products, which cannot be ignored
.
Zhang Zairong, a fourth-level researcher at the Chongqing Yuzhong District Market Supervision Bureau, said that on the one hand, regulatory departments and platforms should restrain and regulate the false publicity of merchants in accordance with laws and regulations such as the Advertising Law, and strictly investigate and deal with illegal marketing behavior; On the other hand, the majority of consumers should also establish a correct concept of consumption, prudently treat Internet red products such as "net red salt", and do not easily pay IQ tax
.

Li Wenjian suggested that the regulatory authorities should not only strengthen supervision and strictly investigate illegal acts such as illegal marketing and fraud inducement, but also pay attention to popular science publicity, so that more people know that the function of "net red salt" is no different from ordinary table salt, so as to safeguard consumers' right to know and let people not fall into the consumption "trap"
.

How do consumers choose salt? Relevant experts of Guangdong Salt Industry Association suggest that first, it is necessary to buy salt through formal channels and choose salt with salt electronic traceability function
.
Second, to scientifically supplement iodine, eating iodized salt is the simplest, safest and most effective way to prevent iodine deficiency diseases, because of the treatment of diseases need to follow the doctor's advice to buy uniodized salt
.
The third is to reduce salt reasonably, low sodium salt has the characteristics of "reducing sodium without reducing salt, low sodium is healthier", and it is recommended that healthy people eat low sodium salt
.
Fourth, it is necessary to scientifically understand salt anti-caking agents, and you can also choose salt without anti-caking agents based on personal consumption preferences
.

Industry experts recommend that patients with hyperthyroidism or thyroid nodules can choose non-iodized salt; For the general consumer, iodine-fortified salt is recommended to be more healthy
.

(Zhu Meiqiao comprehensive arrangement)

China Food News (October 13, 2022, Edition 06)

(Editor: Zhu Meiqiao)