As people prepared for swimsuit season in 2025, a claim spread online that drinking Hawaiian pink salt mixed with lemon water promotes weight loss.
For example, one user on TikTok demonstrated in a video how she prepared the concoction, to which she also added vinegar and pepper (archived):
The claim wasn't new, however. In 2022 a TikTok influencer who said he helped women over the age of 40 lose weight posted this video, explaining the alleged science behind the claim (archived):
The video had gained nearly 60,000 likes and had been saved more than 11,000 times as of this writing.
The claim is false, however, and the explanations internet users shared to support it were based on mistaken beliefs rather than science.
Snopes reached out to Allison Childress, an associate professor of practice in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Texas Tech University and a clinical dietitian, asking for clarifications on this claim.
Childress said the trick is ineffective for weight loss. Rather, it could result in weight gain. "This will not do anything significant to benefit weight loss," she wrote in an email. "In fact too much sodium can lead to water retention which may actually lead to weight gain (however this would be fluid gain, not fat gain)."
Asked if there was any possibility, even remote, that it could at least support efforts to lose weight, she said that "in theory," it could increase hydration, leading to a sensation of fullness that may help a person eat less. "But this is a far reach," she added.
Childress did expound on the nutritional benefits of pink salt, saying that it contained more electrolytes than regular table salt. "However, most people do not need additional sodium," she warned. "In fact, Americans consume more than 50% more than the recommended amount of sodium already."
Asked if there were dangers to consuming too much pink salt, Childress said that the consequences of increased sodium in the diet could be dire, especially for people with certain health issues, "people who have heart, kidney and/or blood pressure issues as increased sodium intake can exacerbate these conditions."
Further, she warned against replacing table salt, which is enriched with iodine, with other types of salt. "There is little to no iodine in pink salt", she said. "Table salt is typically fortified with iodine which helps prevent deficiencies. While iodine deficiencies are relatively rare in the United States (most likely due to our consumption of iodized salt), we have seen a rise recently due to people consuming more pink salt, sea salt, kosher salt etc. instead of table salt." Iodine deficiencies can result in thyroid problems, including an enlarged thyroid (goiter) or hypothyroidism — an underactive thyroid.
Finally, when asked if there were better ways to lose weight, Childress listed the following:
- High-protein meals and snacks, which help create a sensation of fullness for longer.
- Good hydration, as dehydration "can mimic hunger signals and can derail weight loss efforts."
- Exercise, especially "resistance training," she said. "Strength training two to three times per week can preserve lean body mass during weight loss."
- Good sleep. "Poor sleep increases ghrelin, our hunger hormone, which can lead to cravings, specifically for high-calorie foods. Good sleep hygiene can aid in hormone regulation, lead to healthier food choices, improved metabolism and provide more energy for physical activity."
Other tips Childress mentioned included avoiding highly processed foods to favor whole foods, which are more nutritious with a lower caloric density, and monitoring food intake with "a food log or app" to "increase awareness and accountability."
In other words, no single trick can result in weight loss the way healthy lifestyle and habits can.