The myth of “Pink Salt” Is it worth your money?
Himalayan pink salt is a rock salt from Pakistan. You might have heard that Himalayan pink salt has some health benefits. But is it good for your health? Is it worth your money? I will discuss the myth of pink salt based on science.
What does the internet say?
I quickly searched for the benefits of pink salt, and I found these
- Help detox your body
- Improve digestive system
- Improve overall health
what does Science say?
SPEX CertiPrep company investigated 12 types of premium salts available at the store and checked the mineral content in each.
The result showed:
The amount of mineral content in those premium salts is significantly small.
Even the sea salt with the highest calcium content had around 1.4mg per 1g (about 0.1% of the daily recommended intake).
The black salt with the highest potassium content contained approximately 29mg per 1g (around 0.6% of the daily recommended intake).
The premium salt from France with the highest magnesium content had about 1.4mg per 1g (approximately 2% of the daily recommended intake).
The premium salts might contain harmful substances.
- Lead: Almost all products contained traces of lead, with levels around 0.5 mcg. You might want to be careful with this amount.
- Arsenic, Cadmium, and Mercury: These elements were detected in most samples, but the levels found were generally not a cause for concern.
- Thallium: While most products contained less than 1 mcg of thallium per gram, some of the black salt-based products had slightly higher levels. However, thallium’s danger threshold is around 1,000,000 mcg, so these levels are not a cause for worry.
Summary:
Premium salts like Himalayan rock salt may not contain as many minerals as commonly believed on the internet.
They may contain harmful heavy metals.
But those premium salts have a unique flavour so it is good for cooking purposes, just not for health benefits.
Source:
https://www.spexcertiprep.com/knowledge-base/files/AppNote_GourmetSalts.pdf
