Is sodium citrate safe? What precautions should be taken?

Sodium citrate, also known as trisodium citrate, is a safe and widely used food additive, pharmaceutical excipient and industrial buffer with excellent water solubility, pH regulating and metal ion chelating properties; it is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the FDA and permitted for use in food and drugs within specified limits in most countries, posing no acute toxicity or carcinogenic risk for normal intake. In daily food and general topical applications, it is well tolerated by most people, yet precautions should still be noted: people with impaired renal function should avoid excessive intake as it may affect electrolyte balance and calcium metabolism, patients taking cardiac or diuretic medications need to consult a doctor before oral administration, and in medical scenarios such as blood anticoagulation and intravenous infusion, it must be used under professional guidance to prevent hypernatremia or metabolic alkalosis.

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