What it does in the body
- Extracellular fluid balance and osmolality
- Gastric acid production (HCl)
- Acid-base balance (chloride shift)
- Nerve impulse transmission
- Immune function (hypochlorous acid in neutrophils)
How much you need (Daily Value)
| Group | Recommended | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Adult male | 2300 mg (AI) | NIH/IOM |
| Adult female | 2300 mg (AI) | NIH/IOM |
| Pregnancy | 2300 mg (AI) | IOM |
| Children | 1500 mg (1-3y), 1900 mg (4-8y), 2300 mg (9-18y) | NIH/IOM |
| Older adults | 1800-2000 mg (AI) | NIH/IOM |
Richest food sources
| Food | Amount | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Table salt | 59900 mg per 100g (chloride component) | global |
| Soy sauce | 8876 mg per 100ml | East Asia |
| Seaweed (dried) | 3200 mg per 100g | East Asia |
| Olives (brined) | 2400 mg per 100g | Mediterranean |
| Celery | 80 mg per 100g | global |
| Tomato (canned) | 340 mg per 100g | global |
| Rye bread | 730 mg per 100g | Northern Europe |
| Butter (salted) | 1070 mg per 100g | global |
If you don't get enough
Mild: Fatigue, mild metabolic alkalosis, poor appetite
Moderate: Muscle weakness, metabolic alkalosis, shallow breathing
Severe: Severe metabolic alkalosis, hypoventilation, confusion, cardiac arrhythmias
Time to onset: Acute: hours to days with vomiting or NG suction. Dietary deficiency alone is extremely rare.
Too much
Upper limit: 3600 mg/day (mirrors sodium UL as NaCl)
Hyperchloremia contributes to non-anion-gap metabolic acidosis. Excessive saline infusion causes hyperchloremic acidosis and acute kidney injury.
How well you absorb it
Nearly 100% absorbed in the intestine, primarily via paracellular and transcellular pathways
Helped by: Not applicable — nearly complete absorption
Hindered by: Not applicable — absorption is not significantly limited
Cooking & storage
Chloride intake is primarily determined by salt use in cooking and food processing. Most cooking methods do not significantly affect chloride content aside from salt addition or removal.
Nutrisize Health totals every nutrient from what you actually eat, against targets set for your age and sex, and flags what's short — across 4,995 foods, on your device.
