LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Sodium
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Sodium is ... deemed an electrolyte. That is, a substance which can dissociate into ions in water. Solutions of electrolytes therefore conduct an electric current and can be decomposed in a solution (electrolysis). Electrolytes are both anions (positively charged ions) and cations (negatively charged ions). The body uses them throughout fluid compartments. The goal is to distribute them in such a way that within a given compartment--the blood plasma for example--electrical neutrality is always maintained with the anion concentration exactly balanced by the cation concentration.
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Sodium is ... added to various food products, both for taste and as a preservative. Thus, the more processed the food, the higher the sodium content is likely to be. Foods reconstituted with water (eg. soups, bouillon cubes, processed meats) also contain salt. Some of these added forms are monosodium glutamate, sodium nitrite, sodium saccharin, baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), and sodium benzoate.
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Sodium