It helps to regulate the amount of fluid and types of nutrients going in and out of the cells. It also maintains proper pH levels, stimulates stomach acid needed for digestion, stimulates the action of nerve and muscle cells, and facilitates the flow of oxygen and carbon dioxide within cells.
Low levels of chloride (hypochloremia) may be a sign of: Heart failure. Lung disease. Addison disease, a condition in which your body's adrenal glands don't produce enough of certain types of hormones.
It works with other electrolytes, such as sodium and potassium, to help balance acids and bases in your body. It also helps move fluid in and out of your cells. So if your chloride levels drop, you can become sick and dehydrated. If your levels are too high, it often means your kidneys aren't working properly.
Chloride is needed to keep the proper balance of body fluids. It is an essential part of digestive (stomach) juices.
Does drinking water lower chloride levels? If a person's hyperchloremia is a result of dehydration, drinking water can help rebalance a person's electrolyte levels.
Results: After adjusting for age, body mass index, habitual smoking, alcohol consumption, green tea consumption, and antihypertensive medication, coffee consumption significantly increased serum chloride levels (p for trend = 0.001) in men with the ND2-237Leu genotype.
Foods with higher amounts of chloride include seaweed, rye, tomatoes, lettuce, celery, and olives. Chloride, combined with potassium, is also found in many foods. Potassium chloride is a common salt substitute. Most Americans probably get more chloride than they need from table salt and the salt in prepared foods.
A typical normal chloride range is 96 to 106 milliequivalents per liter. If your number is low, you may be dehydrated. If it is high, it could point to a problem with your kidney function.
Sodium is the major extracellular fluid (ECF) cation (positively charged ion) and chloride is the major ECF anion (negatively charged ion). Chloride provides electroneutrality, especially in relation to sodium; chloride's transport is generally passive, following the active transport of sodium.
The best test for diagnosing dehydration, known as a serum osmolality test, is expensive and not currently viable for wide-scale NHS screening. But new research reveals how routine blood tests for sodium, potassium, urea and glucose could be used to screen for dehydration.
Naturally occurring chloride is derived from trace amounts which are present in rocks and soils. Consuming drinking water containing chloride is not harmful to health. High amounts of chloride can give a salty taste to water and can corrode pipes, pumps and plumbing fixtures.
What does a high chloride level mean? If your results reveal that you have higher-than-normal levels of chloride in your blood, it may indicate that you have: Dehydration. Kidney disease.
Hypochloremia is when you have an electrolyte imbalance due to a low chloride level in your blood, which can cause fatigue, dizziness, and weakness. You get most of your chloride through table salt, or sodium chloride.
Oral doses of caffeine increase the urinary excretion of calcium, magnesium, sodium and chloride for at least 3 h after consumption. The hypercalciuric effect can be blocked by adenosine receptor agonists.
Things You Can Do for Hyperchloremia:
Keep yourself well hydrated if you have hyperchloremia. Drink two to three quarts of fluid every 24 hours, unless you are instructed otherwise. Avoid caffeine and alcohol, as these can cause you to have electrolyte disturbances.
Hyperchloremia is an electrolyte disturbance in which there is an elevated level of chloride ions in the blood. The normal serum range for chloride is 96 to 106 mEq/L, therefore chloride levels at or above 110 mEq/L usually indicate kidney dysfunction as it is a regulator of chloride concentration.
The best source of chlorine is ordinary table salt, but chlorides are also naturally contained in meat, milk, and eggs. Almost all canned foods have salt added during the canning process.
Avoid black-eyed peas, dried beans, cooked greens, spinach, yams, and sweet potato pie. All are high in potassium. Best choices? Fried chicken (no skin), corn, string beans or okra, wilted lettuce, corn bread or dinner rolls.
The presence of specific clinical disorders can affect the ability of the kidneys to maintain chloride balance. The result is hyperchloremia (elevated serum chloride concentrations) or hypochloremia (reduced serum chloride concentrations.
Temporary changes in your body — like being dehydrated or drinking a lot of water — can also affect chloride in the short term. All about electrolytes: Electrolytes play an important role in many critical body functions.
Enjoy high-potassium foods regularly.
These include sweet potatoes, potatoes, greens, tomatoes and lower-sodium tomato sauce, white beans, kidney beans, nonfat yogurt, oranges, bananas and cantaloupe. Potassium helps counter the effects of sodium and may help lower your blood pressure.