Why does the sweat that comes out of the body taste salty?

Sweat can flood your entire face. Especially after exercising or the weather is very hot. If not wiped, sweat may flow and accidentally enter your mouth. Some people who have experienced it admit that sweat tastes salty. However, do you know why sweat tastes salty? Check out the following reviews.

Why does sweat taste salty?

Sweating is the body's way of normalizing core temperature. When you are actively moving, such as exercising, your body temperature will rise.

To stabilize the rising body temperature back to normal, the sweat glands will release sweat so that heat evaporates through the skin. This process is called temperature regulation (thermoregulation).

This sweat is mostly produced by the eccrine glands. The rest, which is around the armpits and around the genitals, is produced by apocrine glands. The sweat from the eccrine glands contains salt. This is why sweat will taste salty.

For clarity, let's discuss one by one the sweat content produced by the following eccrine glands.

• Protein. This protein, which is secreted with sweat, helps boost the immune system's defenses and strengthens the skin.
• Urea (CH4N2O). These waste substances are produced by the liver when processing certain proteins. Urea is excreted through sweat to prevent buildup.
• Ammonia (NH3). A waste substance produced by the kidneys when filtering nitrogen in urea from the liver.
• Sodium (Na +). This substance is released with sweat so that sodium levels in the body remain balanced. This sodium is what is known as salt. It contains quite a lot in sweat, which is why sweat tastes salty.

Meanwhile, the sweat produced by the apocrine glands tends to contain fat. When fat is broken down by bacteria, there will be odorous wastes. This sweat causes body odor in a person.

Another factor that causes sweat to taste salty

It turns out that the level of salinity of sweat varies from person to person. Yes, this depends on how much salt the body needs to remove. Well, the amount of salt is influenced by food choices.

The more salty the food consumed, the higher the salt content. The body will also release the excess salt along with sweat so that the levels in the body remain stable.

So, consumption of foods high in salt is also the reason why sweat tastes salty.

According to the Harvard School of Public Health, almost all unprocessed foods such as fruit, vegetables, nuts, meat contain low salt.

For the most part, foods that are high in salt are processed or packaged foods. For example, pizza, savory snacks, smoked meat, or home cooking with a lot of salt added.

Although normal, sweat can also trigger skin problems

Sweat content can actually be a problem for people with skin disorders. One of them is eczema, which is an inflammation of the skin that causes redness, itching, and dryness.

For eczema sufferers, allowing the body to sweat is a taboo. The reason is, sweat can trigger eczema symptoms to reappear.

In fact, the salt content and other components present in sweat can make the skin feel sore when it hits the injured part.

To prevent this, sweat must be cleaned immediately. You can wipe it with a towel or soft cloth. You can also take a shower to clean the remnants of sweat that sticks.