Chloride, together with sodium, potassium and bicarbonate, is a component of the most common electrolytes of your body. These are the essential substances used by your body to maintain normal function of your cells, organs and fluid levels. Because these particles have the ability to take on electrical charges, they are also important to nerve and muscle function.
In the Stomach
Chloride is one of the components of digestive juices in your stomach acid and is responsible for the initial breakdown of foods into nutrients. It helps to breakdown protein bonds for easier assimilation into your body. It also acts to destroy unhealthy bacteria and other microorganisms to defend your body and help your immune system.
In the Bloodstream
Because your body doesn't produce water on its own, it has a system to manage the amount of water it gets each day to preserve homeostasis, or balanced levels in your system. Chloride, as an electrolyte, is an important component in fluid regulation by sensitizing the kidneys and the hypothalmus to lowered levels of water in your body. In this way, it also is a factor in regulating your blood pressure.
In the Muscles
Because chloride is an electrolyte, it is an important factor in muscle functioning. If your electrolytes drop too much, your muscles can no longer contract. Because we lose chloride when we sweat, long periods of exercise can cause a decrease in chloride and create problems with muscle functioning, especially for endurance athletes.
Deficiency Problems
Because salt contains chloride, there are numerous sources in our diet and deficiencies are rare. However, exceptions including diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, and increased sweating can produce drops in chloride levels that can be potentially dangerous. Salt pills contain both sodium and chloride and can alleviate the problem but can cause complications with blood pressure.
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