Nicole Smith Advanced Nutrition II Module 4 Paper- Chloride

Chloride is the negatively charged ionic form of the element chlorine when found within the body. Because it is a negatively charged anion, it is usually attracted to a positively charged cation. When chloride has been able to combine with a positively charged cation, it will form the different compounds that it is most commonly known for. Sodium chloride or table salt is the most recognizable compound chloride has been associated with. Chloride makes up over half of this sodium chloride compound that plays an important role in our bodies and that is so easily found in our diets.1 Chloride by itself goes through a lengthy process while it is in the body. In digestion, it is something that greatly helps the overall process. Without chloride being present in the blood, the stomach would not be able to produce the hydrochloric acid it needs to break down the food that has been consumed. 2 In relation to absorption and transport, the location of both is often within the intestines. The absorption of chloride takes place in the small intestine and is highly interconnected with sodium. The two ions work together in a system to allow chloride to make its way into the enterocytes; it has been said that the entire absorption of chloride has yet to be recognized though. 1(p468) After the chloride has made its way into the cells, it is taken up by the blood across the basolateral membrane where the sodium and potassium that often combine with chloride is then removed from the cells. This allows for the chloride to leave the enterocyte through the brush border membrane and to enter the Cl channels. The Cl channels have been associated with the active transport of Cl into and out of the cells of the large intestine. If chlorides transportation is disrupted, it

can cause a genetic disorder called cystic fibrosis in which a persons glands and organs are affected by a very thick mucus production.1(p468) Once chloride has been transported throughout the cell, storage and excretion come into play. Because chloride is not typically stored, but rather constantly moving throughout the body, it is more often talked about when it is excreted. Chloride aids in excretion via the gastrointestinal tract, the skin, and the kidneys. Sweat and urine are how chloride leaves the body, whereas the excretion of gastic juices into the stomach requires chloride within the body. 1(p469) Along with chloride being a major factor in the gastrointestinal tract, it also functions as an important electrolyte that aids in the balance of fluids in the body and it is able to strengthen the immune system so it can destroy substances that the body does not recognize.3 Chloride is not typically used to prevent a disease; it is something that needs to be managed in the diet though. Sodium chloride is such a common compound that is added to our foods, that it is often seen as a cause of heart related issues such as hypertension. In rare cases where a deficiency is seen muscle weakness, lethargy, severe diarrhea, vomiting, and convulsions have been some of the causes and results.1(p469) To ensure that a deficiency is not an issue an Adequate Intake of 2,300 mg of chloride per day has been recommended and to make sure a toxic level is not reached A Tolerable Upper Intake Level of 3.6 g is recommended. In order to assess the chloride levels in the body, the concentration is measured in the serum that is collected. Measuring the concentration of chloride in the serum will often vary due to the amount of

water that a person has within them. There are also other tests that study chloride concentration, they are the ion-selective electrode potentiometry test and a coulometric titration test.1(p469) Chloride is an interesting anion with a big role in the body. Simply put, we would not be able to survive without it.3 Because it is so readily available in a variety of the foods we consume, we do not have to worry about that though. It is known by a variety of names when attached to a cation, but even alone it has a great capacity to go through the range of processes it needs to within the body to make sure that our bodies are getting everything that we need from it.

References 1. Gropper SS, Smith JL. Water and Electrolytes. Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism Sixth Edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning; 2012. 2. Davies RE. The Mechanism of Hydrochloric Acid Production by the Stomach. Biological Reviews. 2008;26:87-120. 3. Navaneethan U, Giannella RA. Mechanisms of Infectious Diarrhea. Nature Clinical Practice Gastroenterology & Hepatology. 2008;5:637-647.