Salt, Iodine, and Women's Health
At Ashland Natural Medicine, salt questions come up all the time—sea salt versus table salt, Himalayan versus Celtic, iodized versus “natural.” Spring is a great time to step back and look at what really matters for your thyroid, heart, kidneys, and long‑term mineral status.
Are Different Salts Really Different?
On a purely sodium level, most culinary salts are similar. Whether you shake out table salt, sea salt, Celtic salt, or Himalayan pink salt, you are mostly getting sodium chloride, and gram‑for‑gram they have similar effects on blood pressure, kidneys, and the cardiovascular system.
The differences lie in how they are processed and what rides along with the sodium. Standard table salt is usually mined from underground deposits, dissolved in water, purified, crystallized, and then blended with anti‑caking agents and, in most cases, iodine. Sea salts, including Celtic Sea salt, are typically made by evaporating ocean water, so they are less refined and retain small amounts of minerals like magnesium, calcium, potassium, and a spectrum of trace elements. Himalayan pink salt is a rock salt from ancient underground deposits in Pakistan, whose characteristic pink color reflects the presence of iron and other trace minerals.
Those trace minerals are present in tiny quantities, but over years of daily use they can contribute to remineralization, especially in people who are already low in minerals. Minerals help the body manage acidity generated by poor diet, chronic stress, toxic exposures, and chronic infections. Clinically, we see many patients with subtle trace‑mineral deficiencies every day, and shifting from highly processed foods to whole foods, mineral‑rich broths, and small daily inputs from unrefined salts can be one gentle way to support the body’s buffering systems.
One important caveat: most specialty or “gourmet” salts are not iodized unless the label explicitly says so. Regular table salt is still the default vehicle for iodine fortification in many households. For people who move entirely to non‑iodized salts, this is where problems can quietly creep in.
Why Iodized Salt Still Matters—Especially for Older Women
Iodine is a non‑negotiable ingredient for making thyroid hormones. Without enough iodine, the thyroid simply cannot keep up with hormone production, and over time this can lead to hypothyroidism. The downstream effects are familiar: sluggish metabolism, weight gain, poor bone density, higher cholesterol, low energy, brain fog, elevated TSH, and in some cases the gradual development of a goiter.
For women, and particularly for women beyond midlife, iodine carries another layer of importance. Iodine is involved in maintaining healthy breast tissue and has been linked in research to patterns of fibrocystic breast change when it is lacking. Women are also more prone to thyroid disorders in general, so a small deficiency can have outsized impact over the years.
In two decades of naturopathic practice, we have repeatedly seen a pattern: highly health‑conscious patients switch entirely to beautiful, colorful, unrefined salts and completely abandon iodized salt. Their diets are often excellent in other ways, yet when we check labs, they show up iodine‑deficient. In these cases, if a patient prefers not to bring conventional iodized salt back into the kitchen, we will often provide iodine in supplemental form—such as Lugol’s solution or another iodine preparation—and monitor thyroid function to keep this critical nutrient from becoming the missing piece in an otherwise thoughtful lifestyle.
Sodium, Blood Pressure, and the Postmenopausal Body
Salt is not just about the thyroid. Sodium plays a central role in blood pressure regulation, kidney health, and cardiovascular risk, which become more prominent concerns as we age. Sodium tends to raise blood pressure by making the body hold on to extra water. That extra fluid expands blood volume, which increases the pressure on artery walls. If the kidneys are not clearing sodium efficiently—because of genetics, aging, or underlying kidney issues—that same salt intake can generate a higher and more persistent blood pressure.
Sustained high pressure slowly injures the delicate filters in the kidneys, the glomeruli, leading to scarring and a gradual decline in kidney function. Please make sure to look at my side project Axobotanica.com for more information about kidney health.
After menopause, the loss of estrogen makes blood vessels less flexible and encourages the kidneys to retain more sodium. Many women become more “salt‑sensitive,” meaning that the same salty meal that was fine at 35 can cause a noticeable blood pressure bump at 65. This is one reason cutting back on salty processed foods often yields a bigger blood‑pressure improvement in postmenopausal women.
It is worth emphasizing where the sodium is coming from. For most people, the majority of sodium intake does not come from the pinch of salt added at the table or in home cooking. It comes from processed, packaged, and restaurant foods—soups, sauces, breads, snack foods, deli meats, frozen entrees, and fast food. From a practical standpoint, the most effective way to reduce sodium intake is to prioritize fresh, home‑cooked meals and make packaged and restaurant foods the exception rather than the rule. For many older women, cooking simply at home and salting modestly with a chosen salt is far less of a problem than frequent high‑sodium convenience foods, especially in the context of hypertension, chronic kidney disease, or heart failure.
Microplastics in Salt: An Emerging Question
In recent years, another concern has surfaced: microplastics in salt. Multiple analyses of commercial salts from around the world have detected tiny plastic particles in most samples tested, particularly in sea salts. The levels reported vary from study to study, ranging from the tens to the thousands of particles per kilogram, depending on how the testing is done. Unsurprisingly, salts that come directly from the ocean tend to show higher counts than deeply mined rock salts, although this is not universal.
What does this mean for human health? Experimental research suggests that microplastics can stress cells and immune systems under certain conditions, but the real‑world risk at the doses we currently encounter through salt is still being worked out. At this point, the benefits of ensuring adequate iodine and mineral balance are much clearer than the documented harms from microplastics in salt. From a preventive‑medicine standpoint, it makes sense to support efforts to reduce plastic use and environmental contamination while we continue to monitor the science on direct human risk.
How to Choose and Use Salt Wisely
So where does all of this leave the average home cook trying to make good choices?
A simple, practical framework looks like this:
Make sure there is a reliable source of iodine in your routine. That might be iodized table salt used for everyday cooking, or it might be a combination of foods like eggs, and seafood, possibly supported by a carefully dosed iodine supplement if we have identified a deficiency or higher need in your case.
If you love the taste and texture of Himalayan, sea, or Celtic salts, enjoy them—especially as finishing salts that add flavor and trace minerals—but do not rely on them as a primary iodine source unless they are specifically labeled as iodized.
Focus your sodium‑reduction efforts on packaged and restaurant foods. Reading labels, choosing genuinely lower‑sodium options, and cooking simple meals at home will shift blood pressure and kidney risk far more than swapping one natural salt for another. And remember, cooking at home for the majority of our meals is the single most important thing we can do in regard to sodium balance.
Consider your personal health picture. Women with high blood pressure, kidney disease, heart failure, or a strong family history of cardiovascular disease may need more tailored sodium limits; those with thyroid or breast concerns may benefit from a closer look at iodine status and a structured plan for meeting their needs.
For many households, a “middle path” works best: keep an iodized salt on hand for everyday cooking, use a favorite specialty salt at the table for flavor and trace‑mineral support, and keep an eye on the bigger sodium story by limiting processed foods and mostly eating at home. If you are unsure where you stand with iodine, thyroid function, or sodium sensitivity, we are happy to help you test, interpret, and design an individualized plan.
Dr. Chris Chlebowski