Q: I am a 52-year-old male, and I recently had my annual physical and received the lab results for the blood work, which showed that my chloride is 99, and the normal range is 101-114(MMOL/L), so that means my chloride is low or below the normal range. What is the function of chloride in the human body, and what is the significance of mine being "low" or below the normal range?
All my other readings were well with the normal range, which included this statement, "Your cholesterol ratio is quite good as your HDL is very high for a man; this is good. This offsets the bad LDL." I take no medication. I do take Dr. Sears Zone OmegaRx supplement daily.
A: Chloride is a marker of sodium levels in the blood. Your levels are just outside the normal range. You might consider adding some more salt to your diet.