Pink salt, sea salt and the iodine you lose

Pink and Himalayan salt are sold as the better salt, and the trial that tested that found nothing to show for it. Cooking with Himalayan salt for four weeks left blood pressure and urinary sodium where they were, even though per gram it held 15 percent less sodium than table salt. What it also held was six times less iodine, 25.1 micrograms per gram against 150. Across 31 pink salts on Australian shelves magnesium varied eighty fold and iron ran from nothing at all to 167 mg per kilogram, and at one teaspoon the only thing any of them gives you in an amount that counts is sodium. We have no USDA composition entry for salt itself, so everything on this page stands on published studies.

The numbers, per 100 g

How much is actually in it

• Himalayan salt is sold as the better salt. In the samples a Brazilian trial bought and measured, it carried six times less iodine than ordinary table salt, and 15 percent less sodium per gram. — 12 salt products on sale in a Brazilian metropolitan region. All samples of both salts were iodine fortified (n = 9 Himalayan and 3 table salt samples) Evidence B source
  The chosen Himalayan salt held 371.92 mg sodium, 1.8 mg potassium, 1.7 mg magnesium and 25.1 micrograms of iodine per gram. The table salt held 435.93 mg sodium, 0.37 mg potassium, 1.42 mg magnesium and 150 micrograms of iodine per gram
• Across 31 pink salts on Australian shelves the magnesium varied eighty fold and the iron ran from nothing at all to 167 mg per kilogram. There is no such thing as the mineral profile of pink salt. — 31 pink salt products in Australia, 87% labelled Himalayan, plus 1 iodised white table salt for comparison (n = 31 pink salts, 1 table salt) Evidence C source
  Calcium 530.62 to 5736.73, magnesium 146.78 to 11937.98, potassium 98.39 to 4528.89, iron 0 to 167.52 and sodium 343,384.79 to 459,115.58 mg per kg. Lead ran from 0 to 2.59 mg/kg

What a real portion looks like

• Whether the salt shaker matters depends on where you live, and the pattern tracks money: for every ten thousand dollars of income per head, the share of salt added by hand falls by about nine percent. — 80 studies in 34 countries between 1975 and 2018. 32 were nationally representative and 94% were judged at low or moderate risk of bias (n = 80 studies, 34 countries) Evidence C source
  In Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Guatemala, India, Japan, Mozambique and Romania more than half of daily salt came from the shaker and the cooking pot. For every $10,000 more GDP per head, that share was 8.7% lower (95% CI 5.1 to 12, P < 0.0001)
• In most populations studied, the largest single source of salt is bread. — 80 studies in 34 countries, published between 1975 and 2018 (n = 80 studies, 34 countries) Evidence C source
  Bread products, cereals and grains, meat products and dairy products were the major contributors to salt intake in most populations
• Iodised salt is not the only place iodine comes from. In the United States the agency that profiles iodine names fish, shellfish and milk first. — the United States population (n = профіль ATSDR/CDC 2004 року) Evidence E source
  Chronic dietary iodine intake in United States populations is estimated at roughly 150 to 950 micrograms a day, against a Recommended Dietary Allowance of 150. Marine produce and milk are named as the major contributing categories, with iodised salt and bread dough oxidisers listed as intentional additions

What cooking and storage change

• Iodine in iodised salt survives the cupboard. Over fifteen months at room temperature it held its level, and opening and closing the packet every day cost nothing. — iodised salt and double fortified salt produced by dry mixing, stored under normal room conditions and under simulated household use (n = три майданчики, 25 пакетів по 0.5 кг у кожній партії) Evidence B source
  Both salts kept 30 to 40 ppm of iodine through six months and were unchanged at fifteen. The share of samples above 30 ppm was 100% throughout. Daily opening and closing produced no iodine loss

What it does to your health

• Cooking with Himalayan salt instead of table salt for four weeks changed nothing measurable: not blood pressure, not the sodium coming out in the urine. — 17 women with hypertension aged 40 to 65, on stable blood pressure medication, who ate out no more than once a week (n = 17 women) Evidence B source
  Himalayan salt before against after: systolic 118.5 to 117.5 mmHg (p = 0.932), urinary sodium 151 to 159 mEq/24h (p = 0.875). Between the two salts after intervention, systolic 117 against 119 mmHg (p = 0.908)

Safety, limits and interactions

• Sea salt carried more toxic elements than rock salt, which is the opposite of what the word natural on the packet is meant to suggest. — salt samples from studies published worldwide between 2000 and 2024 (n = кількість включених досліджень і зразків в абстракті не названа) Evidence C source
  Pooled concentrations were nickel 974, arsenic 297, mercury 123, lead 81.5 and cadmium 75.9 micrograms per kg. Concentration of toxic elements was higher in sea salt than in rock salt. Risk above the safety threshold appeared for specific countries, not for salt in general
• A teaspoon of pink salt does carry more calcium, iron, magnesium and potassium than white salt. It carries so little of each that the only thing it delivers in a quantity that counts is sodium. — 31 pink salt products in Australia (n = 31 pink salts) Evidence C source
  Pink salt held more calcium (2695 against 393 mg/kg), iron (63.75 against 0), magnesium (2655 against 84) and potassium (2406 against 152) and slightly less sodium (394,718 against 427,636 mg/kg). At one teaspoon none of the nutrients reached a meaningful contribution except sodium

Who this works differently for

• Loose salt sold by weight from a sack carried no iodine at all, and two branded salts came in below the national minimum. What the packet says and what is in it are different questions. — 240 households across urban, semi-urban and rural clusters in Bangladesh (n = 240 households) Evidence C source
  The raw unbranded sample contained no iodine. The best branded salt reached 32.1 ppm against a national standard range of 20 to 50 ppm, and two brands fell significantly below 20 ppm

What is still unknown

• Nobody has worked out what happens to a country's iodine supply when people stop buying ordinary salt. WHO put it on its own list of things still to find out. — populations where salt substitutes are being promoted as policy (n = настанова ВООЗ 2025 року) Evidence E source
  WHO names the need to assess the level and extent of iodisation in salt substitutes so that countries can recalibrate iodisation as substitute use grows

The bottom line

If you want to eat less sodium, start with bread, cereals, meat products and dairy, because in most populations studied that is where most of it sits. How much of the rest is in your own hands depends on where you live. In Brazil, China, India, Japan and four other countries in that review more than half of daily salt came from the shaker and the cooking pot, and that share falls by about 9 percent for every ten thousand dollars of income per head. Iodised salt is sturdier than people assume. It held its iodine for fifteen months at room temperature, and opening the packet every day cost nothing. What is fragile is the supply. In one Bangladeshi survey loose salt sold from a sack carried no iodine at all, and two branded salts came in below the national minimum. Sea salt also pooled higher in toxic elements than rock salt, though the risk crossed the safety threshold only for particular countries rather than for salt as a category. Fish, shellfish and milk are named ahead of salt as iodine sources in the United States, so the shaker is not the only supply line. WHO still lists an open question of its own, which is what happens to a country's iodine as lower sodium salt substitutes spread. If you are moving to a salt substitute or away from iodised salt, that deserves a word with your doctor and not a decision made in the supermarket aisle.

Sources

1. salt-e3-01 · laboratory composition analysis within a randomised trial
   The HS brand whose sodium content was the closest to the mean of all HS samples was chosen for the intervention (intervention HS: 371.92 mg of sodium/g, 1.8 mg of potassium/g, 1.7 of magnesium/g, and 25.1 mcg of iodine/g), and the TS brand chosen was the most popular and commonly consumed by the Brazilian population (Intervention TS: 435.93 mg of sodium/g, 0.37 mg of potassium/g, 1.42 of magnesium/g and 150 mcg of iodine/g).
   Pereira et al., Arquivos Brasileiros de Cardiologia, 2022 · checked 2026-09-18
2. salt-e3-09 · cross-sectional laboratory composition analysis
   Large variations in values were observed for calcium (530.62–5736.73 mg/kg), magnesium (146.78–11937.98 mg/kg), potassium (98.39–4528.89 mg/kg), iron (0–167.52 mg/kg), and sodium (343,384.79–459,115.58 mg/kg).
   Fayet-Moore et al., Foods, 2020 · checked 2026-09-18
3. salt-e3-05 · systematic review of cross-sectional studies
   A significant inverse correlation between discretionary salt intake and a country's per capita GDP was observed (P < 0.0001), such that for every $10,000 increase in per capita GDP, the amount of salt obtained from discretionary sources was lower by 8.7% (95% CI: 5.1%, 12%).
   Bhat et al., Advances in Nutrition, 2020 · checked 2026-09-18
4. salt-e3-06 · systematic review of cross-sectional studies
   Bread products, cereal and grains, meat products, and dairy products were the major contributors to dietary salt intake in most populations.
   Bhat et al., Advances in Nutrition, 2020 · checked 2026-09-18
5. salt-e3-07 · agency toxicological profile
   Major food categories that contribute to dietary iodine include marine produce (e.g., fish and shellfish) and milk.
   Toxicological Profile for Iodine, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry / CDC, 2004 · checked 2026-09-18
6. salt-e3-04 · randomised double-blind stability study
   Daily opening and closing of salt pouches under simulated household conditions did not result in any iodine loss.
   Food and Nutrition Bulletin, 2007 · checked 2026-09-18
7. salt-e3-02 · randomised crossover trial
   This study suggests that there are no significant differences on the impact of HS consumption compared to TS on blood pressure and sodium urinary concentration in individuals with arterial hypertension.
   Pereira et al., Arquivos Brasileiros de Cardiologia, 2022 · checked 2026-09-18
8. salt-e3-03 · meta-analysis of composition measurements with risk assessment
   Additionally, the concentration of PTEs was higher in sea salt than in rock salt.
   Journal of Food Protection, 2026 · checked 2026-09-18
9. salt-e3-10 · cross-sectional laboratory composition analysis
   While one teaspoon (5 g) of pink salt contained small quantities of all nutrients, the levels did not meaningfully contribute to nutrient intake, with the exception of sodium which reached the Australian suggested dietary target.
   Fayet-Moore et al., Foods, 2020 · checked 2026-09-18
10. salt-e3-11 · cross-sectional survey with laboratory assay
    The raw sample's iodine content was nonexistent.
    Food Science & Nutrition, 2025 · checked 2026-09-18
11. salt-e3-08 · guideline research gaps statement
    assessment of sodium intake in populations, and the level and extent of iodization in LSSS, to help countries recalibrate iodization levels in salt in the context of increased LSSS use
    Use of lower-sodium salt substitutes: WHO guideline, World Health Organization, 2025 (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO) · checked 2026-09-18