Chloride

What is Chloride?

Chloride is a type of electrolyte, electrically charged minerals that help maintain fluid levels and the pH balance in the body. After sodium, chloride is the most abundant electrolyte in the blood^[1].

Chloride has several roles, including:

• fluid regulation

• pH maintenance

• stimulating stomach acid production for proper digestion

• stimulating nerve and muscle cells

• supporting the cellular flow of oxygen and carbon dioxide^[2]

Chloride is found in many foods and is a major constituent of table salt (sodium chloride). It’s absorbed in the small intestine and remains in the blood and other fluids, carrying out its vital tasks. Because chloride is usually bound to sodium, their levels often concur. If you have too much chloride, the excess leaves the body in urine.

What Causes Abnormal Chloride Levels?

Several factors can cause chloride levels to rise or fall, and they may be accompanied by changes in other electrolyte levels, particularly sodium.

What causes high chloride levels?

High chloride levels also known as hyperchloremia can be a sign of dehydration but it can also indicate underlying medical conditions, such as:

• Kidney disease

• Respiratory alkalosis (caused by hyperventilating)

• Metabolic acidosis (caused by losing too much alkaline fluid)

• Severe diarrhoea

• High dietary intake of salt

Symptoms of high levels

The symptoms of high chloride levels may be associated with the underlying cause. For example, if metabolic acidosis is causing low chloride in your blood, you may have symptoms, such as:

• vomiting

• diarrhoea

• fatigue

Whereas, dehydration may cause:

• thirst

• dark yellow, strong-smelling pee

• peeing less often than normal

• tiredness

• dizziness

• dry mouth, lips, and tongue

• sunken eyes

What causes low levels?

Because it is readily available in salt (and many foods), it is rare to become nutritionally deficient in chloride. But there are other contributing factors which can lead to low chloride levels.

Clinically, low levels of chloride are called hypochloremia and may be caused by:

• vomiting and diarrhoea

• excessive sweating

• kidney problems

• congestive heart failure

• Cushing Syndrome

• metabolic alkalosis

• diabetes

• chronic lung disease

Prolonged or intense exercise is a contributory factor for low chloride levels. Sodium and chloride are the two main electrolytes prone to loss during exercise as a large quantity is lost through sweat. Some research studies have shown the loss of sodium and chloride can increase by 150% with increased exercise intensity^[3].

When you lose electrolytes such as sodium and chloride, perhaps through excess sweating, exercise, or vomiting and/or diarrhoea, simply drinking water to rehydrate may not be enough, it’s also important to replenish sodium chloride.

Symptoms of low levels

It is possible not to experience any symptoms if you have low chloride levels. Instead, you may notice signs of other electrolyte imbalances or the underlying condition causing hypochloremia. For example:

• vomiting

• diarrhoea

• weakness

• fatigue

• muscle pain

• dehydration

• shortness of breath

Checking Your Chloride Levels

You can check your levels with a chloride blood test from Forth.

Our Ultimate blood test measures your chloride levels alongside 46 other key health markers giving you a comprehensive overview of your health and wellbeing.

The test provides a full health assessment covering:

• heart health

• liver and kidney function

• thyroid function

• muscle function

• nutrition

• immune health

• hormonal health and function

Managing Your Chloride Levels

To keep your sodium levels within a healthy range, there are several things you can do.

Replace electrolytes after exercise or illness

It’s important to replace the salts you lose during exercise alongside fluids. If you only replace the fluids you lose, then you may be at risk of hyponatremia, a lower-than-normal blood sodium level.

You can replace the salt lost during exercise by drinking salt drinks or eating regular foods that contain sodium chloride, such as:

• pretzels

• tomato juice

• rice crackers and peanut butter

• chicken soup

If you have had a recent bout of diarrhoea and vomiting, electrolyte imbalance and dehydration can occur. Oral rehydration formulas are available which contain salts and electrolytes, like:

• sodium chloride

• potassium chloride

• glucose

• magnesium

These solutions are helpful because they will help to replenish lost electrolyte levels, while water can only replace lost fluid.

Cut down dietary salt intake

Table salt, also known as sodium chloride, contains 40% sodium and 60% chloride^[4]. The NHS states that we should not eat more than 6g of salt per day^[5]. Eating too much salt is associated with high blood pressure and an increased risk of heart disease.

Studies have revealed that cardiovascular disease risk can increase by 6% for every 1 g of increased salt intake^[6]. Therefore, if you have a high chloride level or are worried about your salt intake, you might consider lowering the amount of salt in your diet.

Salt naturally occurs in most foods but it is added to processed foods, and these are likely the things you should be limiting or avoiding:

• processed meats - bacon, ham, burgers

• cheese

• ready meals

• bread

• tinned vegetables with added salt

• savoury snacks, such as crackers and crisps

You can help to lower your salt intake by:

• checking food labels to see how much salt is in the food you eat and picking lower salt options

• choose tinned fish in spring water rather than brine

• choose no added salt tinned vegetables and pulses

• add herbs and spices for flavour to meals rather than salt

• choose low-salt stock cubes or make your own stock

• reduce your consumption of salty snacks like crisps, nuts, smoked fish, and processed meat

Written by Leanne Edermaniger

Based in the UK, Leanne specialises in writing about health, medicine, nutrition, and fitness.

She has over 5 years of experience in writing about health and lifestyle and has a BSc (hons) Biomedical Science and an MSc Science, Communication and Society.