The value of chlorine in living organisms. Chlorine-rich foods. Daily rate of an element

If we talk about the history of chlorine as an isolated element, then in comparison with the history of its use by people, it will seem short, although chlorine was discovered back in the 18th century by the Swedish chemist Karl Scheele. Conducting experiments with hydrochloric acid, the scientist smelled a smell reminiscent of aqua regia and released a yellow-green gas, and then began to study its interaction with other substances. Tsar's vodka is not alcohol, but the strongest oxidizing agent and solvent, usually consisting of hydrochloric and nitric acid, and was used by medieval alchemists - almost all metals are dissolved in it, including precious metals, gold, etc. Chlorine is the main element of aqua regia - if it is exhaled, the substance loses its properties.

Scheele, however, decided that the gas he had emitted was a complex substance - something like hydrochloric acid oxide.

At the beginning of the 19th century, the Englishman Humphrey Davy, after a series of unsuccessful experiments, finally realized that yellow-green gas is a simple substance, and called it chlorine - in England and the USA it is still called that.

Another famous chemist, Frenchman J.L. Gay Lussac, suggested the name chlorine - this is how it is called in the periodic table.

Chlorine is a macronutrient, and it enters the human body in the form of mineral salts, together with magnesium, calcium, potassium, sodium, etc.

People began to use chlorine compounds a long time ago - already thousands of years ago they used rock salt to preserve food supplies - for example, fish and meat. Archaeologists find today evidence that in the IV-III millennia BC. people already knew exactly about the properties of salt, and Herodotus describes the extraction of salt - this is the most ancient of such descriptions that have come down to us.

Most chlorine is found in our skin; it is present in the blood, intercellular fluid and bone tissue. Most often we consume chlorine with table salt - sodium chloride; up to 90% of chlorine is excreted in the urine, and a small amount in sweat.

Chlorine in the body

Why does our body need chlorine? When people talk about acid-base balance and water-salt metabolism, they usually mean the exchange of chlorine, sodium and potassium. All these elements must be present in the intercellular fluid in a constant ratio, otherwise serious health problems may occur. So, with a violation of chlorine exchange, edema occurs, the work of the heart worsens, and pressure drops occur.

Osmoregulation is a set of processes that maintain a relatively constant pressure in the blood, lymph, and intracellular fluid, which makes it possible to remove salts and fluid from the body, as well as regulate their content and redistribution in tissues and environments. The main element that takes the most active part in these processes is just chlorine - it is called the main osmotically active substance.

Taking part in the digestion process, chlorine stimulates the production of gastric juice and appetite. With increased acidity of the stomach, the consumption of chlorides increases, therefore, in acute diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, a lack of chlorine in the body may occur. Chlorine also protects the body from dehydration; promotes the elimination of carbon dioxide, toxins and toxins from tissues and cells; maintains the normal state of erythrocytes.

Chlorine sources, chlorine in products

As already noted, it is believed that chlorine enters the body along with table salt - this is up to 90% of its daily value, and there is very little of it in products; however, in areas where salt is traditionally used in diets, there are usually no symptoms of chlorine deficiency in the body. There are also certain categories of people - for example, vegetarians who do not use salt in principle, and they also do not have a chlorine deficiency - at least in this they are no different from other people.

Of course, there is chlorine in food: it is found in meat, eggs, legumes, seafood - oysters, etc., olives, cereals; it is not enough in vegetables and fruits. Some species of marine and freshwater fish are quite rich in chlorine: these are mackerel, anchovies, catfish, capelin, carp, crucian carp, flounder, pink salmon, tuna, hake.

Chlorine daily requirement

The daily norm of chlorine for a healthy person is from 4 to 6 g, and experts believe that with a balanced diet we get it. You can get more chlorine - up to 7 g - this dose is considered harmless. In hot weather, physical activity and in other conditions, when sweating increases, a person needs more chlorine.

Lack of chlorine in the body

With strong sweating, as well as other processes that contribute to dehydration of the body - vomiting, loss of salts in the urine; diseases caused by damage to the adrenal glands or disruption of their activity; violations of acid-base balance and other pathological conditions, chlorine deficiency occurs most often. The reason for the lack of chlorine is also considered to be some therapeutic diets in which salt is absent: for kidney disorders, hypertension and other diseases.

Some drugs also cause a decrease in the amount of chlorine in the body: these are laxatives, corticosteroids, diuretics, etc.

With a lack of chlorine, a person may feel lethargic and drowsy, muscle weakness; his mouth dries up, his sense of taste and appetite are lost; memory weakens.

With chlorine deficiency, hair and even teeth can begin to fall out; if the content of this macronutrient in the body decreases sharply, it can lead to coma and even death.

Excess chlorine in the body

Inhalation of concentrated chlorine vapors can quickly kill a person - it causes a burn of the respiratory tract and inhibition of the respiratory center, but under normal conditions of life and work, such situations do not arise. It is clear that many people working in specialized industries often have an excess of chlorine in the body: it is the pharmaceutical, textile, pulp and paper, and, of course, the chemical industry. In such cases, of course, no one dies right away, but life expectancy is steadily decreasing, since many pathological conditions and chronic diseases arise.

With an excess of chlorine, fluid builds up in the body, and this provokes an increase in blood pressure. May appear: dry cough and chest pain, lacrimation and pain in the eyes, headache, as well as disorders called dyspeptic - they experience serious digestive disorders, accompanied by severe pain, heartburn, belching, nausea, flatulence and heaviness in the stomach.

In addition, bronchopneumonia may develop with high fever and toxic pulmonary edema - in such cases, it is possible to save a person, but it depends on the severity of his condition.

Excessive consumption of chlorine, unfortunately, today concerns almost all of us - after all, drinking water, especially in big cities, is disinfected with chlorine. In water, chlorine forms many compounds of varying degrees of toxicity that have carcinogenic and other destructive properties, as well as negatively affecting the human genetic apparatus. Pneumonia, gastritis, ARVI are a common set of diseases caused by the use of chlorinated water.

In America and Finland, scientists have found that 2% of all liver and kidney cancers develop due to the increased content of chlorine in drinking water, but it continues to be used everywhere for its disinfection. At the same time, recent studies show that exposure to chlorine does not neutralize all pollution - many viruses remain viable and active.

The danger of getting an excess of chlorine also lies in the desire for personal hygiene - when taking a hot shower from chlorinated water, chlorine compounds enter the body in larger quantities than when drinking water inside. It is estimated that in this way a person can receive tens of times more toxic substances - this is by the most conservative estimates.

The chlorine content of drinking water can be reduced by using activated carbon filters; you can also stand and boil water, but this method is not the best - both during settling and during boiling, chlorine vapors get into the air, and we still inhale them; in addition, practically nothing useful remains in boiled water - almost all mineral salts die.

Gataulina Galina
for women's magazine website

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Chlorine is very important and beneficial for the human body, since it is it that ensures its normal water balance throughout its life.

The role of chlorine in the human body

In addition to the fact that chlorine in the body is responsible for the ratio of water to the amount of other macro- and microelements, its duties also include:

• regulation of blood pressure;
• normalization of acid-base balance;
• activation of many enzymes;
• stimulating appetite;
• removal of carbon dioxide, slags and toxic compounds.

Chlorine is found in some foods that form the basis for a balanced daily human diet, so in most cases, chlorine deficiency is very rare. Important sources of this macronutrient are:

• meat and legumes;
• eggs;
• seafood: oysters, shrimps, mussels;
• iori and freshwater fish: mackerel, carp, capelin, anchovies, pink salmon, crucian carp, tuna, hake, flounder, catfish.

The norm of chlorine in the body

A normal sufficient amount of chlorine for a healthy adult body is 2-5 g. A dose of 7 g is still harmless and is not capable of causing harm to humans. A properly balanced diet can provide the right amount without any problem. It is worth remembering only that the daily requirement for chlorine increases in hot climates, constant sweating and with regular physical activity. It is important that the body of newborn babies is not yet able to absorb chlorine, so it receives this macronutrient from the milk of its mother.

Lack of chlorine in the body

A lack of chlorine in the body triggers a number of health problems. So, a person becomes lethargic, drowsy and weak. In addition, he constantly suffers from seizures and decreased osmotic pressure. Acute chlorine deficiency is accompanied by anorexia and tachycardia, confusion and nervous exhaustion.

Both the deficiency and too much chlorine in the human body provokes disturbances in the functioning of all its organs and vital systems. With an excess of this macronutrient, cramps in the eyes and lacrimation, dry cough and pain in the heart are observed. In this state, a person constantly has a headache, a temperature rises for no reason, and even pulmonary edema is possible. In addition, if there is too much chlorine in the cells of the whole body, fluid begins to linger, which disrupts their normal functioning.

The absorption of chlorine by the body

Since we are talking about a macronutrient, the body receives it under the guise of consumed mineral salts, which also consist of magnesium, calcium, potassium and sodium. The process of assimilation of chlorine occurs in the small intestine when it enters there in the form of table salt.

Indications for the use of chlorine

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Chlorine is one of the most important biogenic elements and is included in all living organisms in the form of compounds.

In animals and humans, chlorine ions are involved in maintaining osmotic equilibrium; chloride ion has an optimal radius for penetrating the cell membrane. This explains its joint participation with sodium and potassium ions in the creation of constant osmotic pressure and regulation of water-salt metabolism. Under the influence of GABA (a neurotransmitter), chlorine ions have an inhibitory effect on neurons by reducing the action potential. In the stomach, chlorine ions create a favorable environment for the action of proteolytic enzymes in gastric juice. Chlorine channels are present in many cell types, mitochondrial membranes, and skeletal muscle. These channels perform important functions in the regulation of fluid volume, transepithelial transport of ions and stabilization of membrane potentials, and are involved in maintaining cell pH. Chlorine accumulates in visceral tissue, skin and skeletal muscles. Chlorine is absorbed mainly in the large intestine. Chlorine absorption and excretion are closely related to sodium ions and bicarbonates, to a lesser extent to mineralocorticoids and the activity of Na + / K + - ATPase. The cells accumulate 10-15% of all chlorine, of this amount from 1/3 to 1/2 - in erythrocytes. About 85% of chlorine is found in the extracellular space. Chlorine is excreted from the body mainly with urine (90-95%), feces (4-8%) and through the skin (up to 2%). Chlorine excretion is associated with sodium and potassium ions, and reciprocally with HCO 3 (acid-base balance).

A person consumes 5-10 g of NaCl per day. The minimum human requirement for chlorine is about 800 mg per day. The infant receives the necessary amount of chlorine through the mother's milk, which contains 11 mmol / L of chlorine. NaCl is essential for the production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach, which aids digestion and kills bacteria. Today, the participation of chlorine in the occurrence of certain diseases in humans is not well understood, mainly due to the small number of studies. Suffice it to say that even recommendations for the daily consumption of chlorine have not been developed. Human muscle tissue contains 0.20-0.52% chlorine, bone - 0.09%; in blood - 2.89 g / l. An average person (body weight 70 kg) contains 95 g of chlorine. Every day a person receives 3-6 g of chlorine from food, which in excess covers the need for this element.

Chlorine ions are vital for plants. Chlorine participates in energy metabolism in plants, activating oxidative phosphorylation. It is necessary for the formation of oxygen during photosynthesis by isolated chloroplasts, stimulates the auxiliary processes of photosynthesis, primarily those associated with the accumulation of energy. Chlorine has a positive effect on the absorption of oxygen by the roots, potassium, calcium, magnesium compounds. An excessive concentration of chlorine ions in plants can also have a negative side, for example, reduce the content of chlorophyll, reduce the activity of photosynthesis, and retard the growth and development of plants.

But there are plants that, in the process of evolution, either adapted to soil salinity, or, in the struggle for space, occupied empty salt marshes on which there is no competition. Plants growing on saline soils are called halophytes, they accumulate chlorides during the growing season, and then get rid of the excess through leaf fall or release chlorides on the surface of leaves and branches and get the double benefit of shading the surface from sunlight.

Among microorganisms, halophiles - halobacteria - are also known, which live in highly saline waters or soils.

Chlorine (from the Greek - "green") is a macroelement necessary for the regulation of water balance in the body, performing a number of vital functions in the body, such as:

Participates in the metabolism in the body;
- together with potassium and sodium, it regulates the water-electrolyte balance;
- is a part of biologically active compounds of the body;
- normalizes osmotic pressure;
- regulates acid-base balance in the intercellular fluid;
- activates enzymes;
- eliminates edema;
- affects the flexibility of the body;
- stimulates appetite;
- retains water in the body;
- improves liver function;
- part of the main gastric juice;
- promotes the breakdown of fats;
- affects the removal of carbon dioxide from the body;
- controls the state of erythrocytes;
- participate in maintaining the pH balance of cells;
- promotes the removal of toxins and toxins from the body.

Chlorides are a group of chemical compounds, salts of hydrochloric acid, otherwise hydrochloric acid. They are an important part of the salt found in many foods and are therefore used in cooking. Chlorides are also essential for maintaining proper fluid balance in the body, being an integral part of gastric juices.

Most of all chlorine is found in our skin; it is also found in blood, intercellular fluid and bone tissue.

Food sources chlorine

Most of the chlorine is found in table or sea salt (sodium chloride), therefore, using it in moderation, the body more than makes up for its deficiency. Chlorides, along with potassium, which is also found in most foods, are usually the main ingredients - salt substitutes.

Foods with a higher chloride content:

Seaweed
- rye
- tomatoes
- lettuce salad
- celery
- olives
- eggs
- animal meat
- fish, especially pink salmon, catfish, crucian carp, capelin, flounder, mackerel, tuna

Fruits and vegetables contain trace amounts of chlorine.

Chlorine daily requirement

The daily norm of chlorine for a healthy person is from 800 mg to 6 g. Unfortunately, most people consume more chlorides than they need, in the form of table salt and salt in finished products. In hot weather, with increased physical exertion and in other conditions, when sweating increases, a person needs more chlorine. Other factors are also important, such as pregnancy and illness. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding need more chlorine. Elderly people - fewer.

Daily chlorine intake for newborns

Infants receive chlorine from breast milk, so breastfeeding mothers need to take care of maintaining normal levels of chlorine in their milk.

0-6 months: 0.18 g / day
- 7-12 months: 0.57 g / day

Daily chlorine intake for children and schoolchildren

1-3 years: 1.5 g / day
- 4-8 years old: 1.9 g / day
- 9-13 years old: 2.3 g / day

Daily chlorine intake for adolescents and adults

Men and women ages 14 to 50: 2.3 g / day
- Men and women aged 51 to 70: 2.0 g / day
- Men and women aged 71 and over: 1.8 g / day

Excess and lack of chlorine in the body

A lack of chlorides and chlorine in the body can occur when the body loses a lot of fluid. This could be due to excessive sweating, vomiting, or diarrhea.

Medicines such as diuretics (diuretics taken in the premenstrual period that help the body get rid of fluids; drugs that increase the excretion of water and salts in the urine, increase the rate of urine formation and reduce the fluid content in tissues and serous cavities. Diuretics are used mainly for arterial hypertension and diseases of the cardiovascular system, liver and kidneys, accompanied by edema, but not for all diseases with edema, and only as prescribed by a doctor, in the absence of contraindications for pathologies, especially in chronic heart failure, when the patient has a positive sodium balance, that is, the amount sodium, taken with food, exceeds its excretion.Sodium excretion from the body is accompanied by a decrease in edema. Therefore, those diuretics that increase, first of all, natriuresis and chloruresis are of greatest importance) can also cause low chlorine levels.

Excess chloride in salty foods can increase blood pressure or cause excess fluid to accumulate in people with congestive heart failure, cirrhosis, or kidney disease.

Chlorine was isolated as a chemical element in the 18th century, but its most famous chemical compound, table salt, was used by people in ancient times. About 6000 years ago, salt was mined in the Mediterranean countries, and it was widely used in everyday life - having learned, first of all, to preserve food with its help - fish, meat, vegetables.

The use of rock salt was described by Herodotus; in the Middle Ages, alchemists, conducting their experiments, also received chlorine, although they did not know about its properties; In the 19th century, English and French chemists finally figured out what kind of substance is released when the pyrolusite mineral is heated with hydrochloric acid, and gave it the name - chlorin, for its yellow-greenish color. Later, for brevity, they began to call this element chlorine, and they also found out that it exists in our body, mainly in an ionized state. Most of all chlorine - from 30 to 60% - is contained in our skin, since it has the ability to accumulate this element, but it is also in other tissues: it is a part of gastric juice, blood, bones, cerebrospinal fluid and intercellular fluid, and therefore takes participation in the process of water-salt metabolism - it helps the body retain water in the tissues.

Today, scientists have realized that chlorine also belongs to the irreplaceable elements that are constantly present in plant and animal tissues, and interacts with other substances in the body, together with them maintaining a variety of physical and chemical processes in the norm - for example, acid-base balance and osmotic pressure.

Chlorine trace element requirement

A person needs from 2 to 4 g of chlorine per day, and usually we get it with food, and even more than is necessary if we are used to eating a lot of salty foods.

Where is chlorine

Chlorine-rich foods are mainly table salt (if it can be considered a product) and bread. Some amount of chlorine is also found in milk and meat, beets, olives, legumes, cereals; in other vegetables, as well as in fruits, it is less.

There is also calcium chlorine, a food supplement, but such supplements should only be taken on the advice of a doctor. You should also not salt food just to get chlorine, since it is also found in other products.

The role of chlorine in the body: why chlorine is needed

Let's talk a little more about the action of chlorine and its role in our body. The balance that chlorine maintains is the balance between red blood cells and plasma, blood and body tissues, as well as water balance. If this balance is disturbed, then edema appears.

Together with potassium and sodium, chlorine ensures normal water-salt metabolism, and can relieve edema of various origins, bringing blood pressure back to normal. The ratio of these elements must always be balanced, since they maintain normal osmotic pressure of the intercellular fluid. Acid-base imbalance, which may appear due to imbalance between these elements, causes various diseases.

Chlorine is important for normal digestion, as it participates in the formation of hydrochloric acid, which is the main component of gastric juice, and also stimulates the activity of amylase, an enzyme that promotes the breakdown and absorption of carbohydrates. In some diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, accompanied by inflammatory processes, the amount of chlorine in the body decreases.

Improving liver function, chlorine helps cells and tissues to get rid of toxins, and also removes carbon dioxide from the body in a timely manner.

For athletes, it is important that the balance of chlorine is always observed in their body, just like sodium and potassium: chlorine is necessary for the joints - it allows them to remain flexible for longer, and helps the muscles to stay strong.

Lack of chlorine in the body: causes and symptoms

Chlorine deficiency in the body can occur in the case of dehydration - this happens quite often. It may be heavy sweating; vomiting and diarrhea in case of poisoning; nephropathy, in which a person loses salt; adrenocortical insufficiency - a condition in which the function of the adrenal cortex decreases; violation of acid-base balance. Some medications, even conventional laxatives or diuretics, also cause a decrease in the content of this element in the body.

If the lack of chlorine is moderate, then the person feels lethargic and drowsy, his memory deteriorates, muscles weaken, dry mouth appears, appetite decreases and the ability to distinguish the taste of foods is lost. Chronic diseases caused by chlorine deficiency are usually accompanied by skin lesions, hair and teeth loss.

An acute deficiency of this element, the importance of which scientists did not even suspect for many centuries, can cause severe conditions, up to coma, and even end in death, if its balance in the body is not restored in time.

Excess chlorine in the body: why chlorine is dangerous

However, an excess of chlorine in the body, especially sharp, is no less, and maybe more dangerous than its deficiency. This is possible if a person works in a certain area of \u200b\u200bproduction: the chemical or pharmaceutical industry, at a pulp and paper mill or in another place where he can breathe in concentrated chlorine vapor. In this case, a person may die from a chemical burn, which causes inhibition of the respiratory center in the brain and respiratory arrest.

In case of poisoning that causes dehydration and impaired kidney function, too, an excess of chlorine can occur, as well as its deficiency. An increase in the amount of chlorine can be triggered by taking many medications in the treatment of diseases, so you should always assess your condition and not take any medications without a doctor's prescription.

Excess chlorine can cause water to build up in body tissues, and then to a sharp increase in blood pressure. With a sharp increase in the amount of chlorine in the body, pain in the eyes and cough appears, tears flow, headache and chest pains, indigestion; development of severe inflammation of the bronchi, high temperature and toxic pulmonary edema is possible.

Today, every person knows that chlorine is used for disinfecting drinking water. And everyone also knows about its toxic effects on the body, but they began to think about it seriously not so long ago.

Chlorine, which at normal content in the human body becomes its protector, when interacting with other substances in the water, forms compounds that pose a serious danger to health and life. Not to mention gastritis and respiratory viral diseases, they can not only provoke the development of oncology - in particular, liver and kidney cancer, but also cause gene mutations.

Of course, many people actively protect themselves from excess chlorine - they use filters, boil, defend and freeze drinking water, but not every person has a filter in the bathroom.

Meanwhile, when taking a hot shower or bath, you can get as much chlorine as is contained in 2 liters of unfiltered chlorinated water. When breathing during water procedures, more chlorine enters our body than is absorbed with water through the skin.

Symptoms of chlorine poisoning can occur if more than 15 g of this substance gets into the human body.

Chlorine can destroy vitamin E, so if you include foods with this vitamin in your diet, hoping to improve your health, and at the same time drink chlorinated water, you will not do yourself any good.

Excess chlorine also kills the intestinal flora, so you need to try to eat live yoghurts more often and take preparations containing bifidumbacteria.