Pink salt vs regular salt: Is one healthier than the other?

What is salt? Salt is a common ingredient used from prehistoric times to now. It has changed civilisations, and is now an integral part of one’s food. Of course we cannot forget the fight against the British for taxation on salt in the form of Dandi March. We are today talking about different types of salts debating whether pink salt is better than white salt. Salt has been used as if food preservative, currency, religious findings, drug and medication, item of taxation, symbol of victory, as a mummifying agent and an integral component of one’s diet.Salt is a compound sodium chloride. Sodium plays an important role in several biological functions, including fluid balance, nerve conduction and muscle contraction. Salt in excess can lead to high blood pressure and heart disease. Because of the potential dangers of consuming too much table salt, many people have turned to using pink Himalayan salt, believing it to be a healthier alternative. Let us now explore the difference between the Pink salt and the normal salt. Pink Himalayan salt is a pink-colored salt extracted from the Khewra Salt Mine. The salt is hand-extracted and minimally processed to yield an unrefined product that’s free of additives and thought to be much more natural than table salt. However, the natural harvesting process allows pink Himalayan salt to possess many other minerals and trace elements that are not found in regular table salt. Some people estimate it may contain up to 84 different minerals and trace elements. In fact, it’s these very minerals, especially iron, that give it its characteristic pink color. Both table salt and pink Himalayan salt consist mostly of sodium chloride, but pink Himalayan salt has up to 84 other minerals and trace elements. These include common minerals like potassium and calcium, as well as lesser-known minerals like strontium and molybdenum. The Pink Himalayan salt lacks Iodine which is an ingredient added to Table salt. Below is a comparison of well-known minerals found in a gram of the two salts: Pink Himalayan salt Contains may favor good microbiome. Studies using advanced genetic techniques showed that wide variety of microbes, with two main groups of bacteria thriving in different environments, one in the soil and the other in the salty brine. The soil had more diverse bacteria like Lactobacillus, while the brine supported different groups, including halophiles that thrive in extreme salt conditions.Dr. Narasimhaiah Srinivasaiah, Senior Consultant - Colorectal Surgery, Apollo Hospitals Bannerghatta Road, Bengaluru