# Iodized salt vs. Sea Salt: Benefits for folks with hypertension **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 2, 2003, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iodized-salt-vs-sea-salt-benefits-for-folks-with-hypertension/146310 "2003-01-02T23:36:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![celestina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/258eb7/32.png) [@celestina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/celestina)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iodized-salt-vs-sea-salt-benefits-for-folks-with-hypertension/146310/1 "2003-01-02T23:36:11Z")
My apologies if I make an ass of myself in this OP. I’ve been having a lil conversation with some Bushmills. [giggle] At any rate, I’ve just had an lil tiff with the **Queen Mother** , who has hypertension among other things and shouldn’t be having salt, but persists in having iodized salt in the house _and using it in her food!_ My question is isn’t sea salt better for folks who have hypertension than iodized salt? Someone told me that sometime, and I was just wondering if that’s true, and if so why? What is it about sea salt that makes it better for folks than iodized salt? Or, if it isn’t, then please let me know so that I can show **Her Royal Highness, the Dowager Queen Mother** the error of her ways. ::sniff:: ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iodized-salt-vs-sea-salt-benefits-for-folks-with-hypertension/146310/2 "2003-01-02T23:49:29Z")
It’s the sodium that’s the culprit, and both sea salt and regular salt are sodium chloride. There are salt substitutes containing potassium chloride for diabetics. ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iodized-salt-vs-sea-salt-benefits-for-folks-with-hypertension/146310/3 "2003-01-02T23:50:50Z")
I mean “for hypertensive persons.” ---
**Author:** ![celestina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/258eb7/32.png) [@celestina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/celestina)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2003, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iodized-salt-vs-sea-salt-benefits-for-folks-with-hypertension/146310/4 "2003-01-03T00:26:14Z")
**barbitu8** , thank you for responding. So there’s no difference between sea salt and iodized salt? What are these potassium chloride substitutes? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2003, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iodized-salt-vs-sea-salt-benefits-for-folks-with-hypertension/146310/5 "2003-01-03T00:34:49Z")
No difference. They’re both nearly pure sodium chloride. Iodized salt has iodine added, but that isn’t going to hurt. Salt is just sea salt that’s been sitting around underground for a few million years. Potassium chloride is preferable. Never tried them, and most people who like salt don’t seem to like them, but chemically, it’s the chlorine that gives salt its flavor. Another good solution is dump the salt and use fresh-ground pepper instead. Not only better for you, but much more interesting flavor. ---
**Author:** ![raygirvan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac91a4/32.png) [@raygirvan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raygirvan)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2003, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iodized-salt-vs-sea-salt-benefits-for-folks-with-hypertension/146310/6 "2003-01-03T01:13:20Z")
The iodine, by the way, is just a trace additive intended to top up dietary iodine (in the past, people living inland and eating non-sea salt would get a deficiency). ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2003, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iodized-salt-vs-sea-salt-benefits-for-folks-with-hypertension/146310/7 "2003-01-03T01:33:01Z")
Goiters. Other thyroid problems too. I don’t know if any of this relationship was ever proved. Peace, mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![raygirvan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac91a4/32.png) [@raygirvan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raygirvan)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2003, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iodized-salt-vs-sea-salt-benefits-for-folks-with-hypertension/146310/8 "2003-01-03T02:05:57Z")
Interesting national data here: [http://www.people.virginia.edu/~jtd/iccidd/mi/cidds.html](http://www.people.virginia.edu/~jtd/iccidd/mi/cidds.html) I suspect that in regions of developed countires where iodine deficiency was historically a problem (e.g. American Mid-West or central England) a wider diet nowadays probably makes iodised salt unnecessary.