Chloride
Also known as Chloride (from salt)
Chloride is the major negatively charged ion in the fluid outside cells, where it works with sodium to maintain fluid balance and normal cell function. It is also needed to make stomach acid for digestion and helps maintain acid-base balance. Because most dietary chloride comes together with sodium as salt, intake tracks closely with sodium, and its needs are set as Adequate Intakes.
The recommended intake sits at about 64% of the level considered the safe daily ceiling, leaving comfortable headroom.
Why it matters
What it does in your body
- Fluid balance with sodium
- Stomach acid (hydrochloric acid) production
- Acid-base balance
- Nerve and muscle function
- Nutrient transport
By age, sex, and life stage
How much you need
All chloride values are Adequate Intakes (AI), not RDAs, from the 2005 IOM report (chloride was not revised in 2019). The adult AI is 2300 mg, and it steps down with older age to 2000 mg at 51 to 70 and 1800 mg at 71+, mirroring the way sodium accompanies chloride as salt.
Recommended intake across life
in mg/dayBars scale to the highest recommendation shown. Where men and women differ, both values are listed.
Full reference table
| Life stage | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Infants 0-6 mo | 180 (AI) | 180 (AI) |
| Infants 7-12 mo | 570 (AI) | 570 (AI) |
| Children 1-3 | 1500 (AI) | 1500 (AI) |
| Children 4-8 | 1900 (AI) | 1900 (AI) |
| Children 9-13 | 2300 (AI) | 2300 (AI) |
| Teens 14-18 | 2300 (AI) | 2300 (AI) |
| Adults 19-50 | 2300 (AI) | 2300 (AI) |
| Adults 51-70 | 2000 (AI) | 2000 (AI) |
| Adults 71+ | 1800 (AI) | 1800 (AI) |
| Pregnancy | n/a | 2300 (AI) |
| Lactation | n/a | 2300 (AI) |
Values in mg/day. AI marks an Adequate Intake, used when there is not enough evidence for a formal recommendation.
What moves the number
What changes your needs
Age
The AI rises through childhood to 2300 mg by the teen years, then declines with older age to 2000 mg (51 to 70) and 1800 mg (71+), paralleling sodium.
Sex
The chloride AI is identical for males and females at every life stage; there is no sex-based difference.
Body weight / size
Chloride is set per age group rather than body weight, and losses rise with heavy sweating, vomiting, or diarrhea rather than with body size.
Pregnancy and lactation
The AI holds at 2300 mg during pregnancy and lactation, consistent with the sodium requirement, since chloride is consumed alongside sodium as salt.
Running low
Signs you might not get enough
Most at risk: Dietary deficiency is rare; it occurs mainly with excessive fluid losses from persistent vomiting, chronic diarrhea, heavy sweating, or certain diuretics, which deplete chloride along with sodium.
Too much
Can you get too much?
Because chloride enters the diet almost entirely as salt with sodium, excess parallels excess sodium and the same high-blood-pressure concerns apply. Staying below the UL of 3600 mg/day is advised for adults.
Where to get it
Best food sources
The bottom line
Chloride comes almost entirely from salt, so if you get enough sodium you get enough chloride, and true deficiency is rare outside heavy fluid loss. Since it travels with sodium, the same advice applies: moderate your salt intake to protect blood pressure.
Track chloride automatically
Chloride is one of the 92 nutrients Vora reads from a photo of your meal, so you can see where you stand without weighing or logging by hand.
Sources and method
The recommended intakes, upper limits, and food-source amounts on this page come from the primary references below. Numbers were checked against the current NIH Office of Dietary Supplements fact sheets and the Institute of Medicine (now the National Academies) Dietary Reference Intakes.
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, electrolyte information
- Institute of Medicine (2005), Dietary Reference Intakes for Water, Potassium, Sodium, Chloride, and Sulfate
This page is for general education, not medical advice. Reference intakes are population averages for healthy people and do not replace guidance from your doctor or a registered dietitian, especially if you are pregnant, managing a health condition, or considering supplements.