News
More salt, less brain health
Wednesday 17 January 2018
We know that salt is harmful to brain health because it increases the risk of hypertension that carries a risk of cerebrovascular disease, including stroke and dementia. This has been demonstrated by several clinical and epidemiological studies in humans. But what is not clear how salt in the diet damages the brain.
Now a new study done in rats and published in Nature Neuroscience shows that excess sodium in the diet suppresses cerebral blood flow and endothelial function, leading to cognitive decline. The novelty of this study is that it can help us understand the mechanisms through which salt is a risk factor for humans, unknown until now.
Neurologist Constantino Iadecola, senior author of this study and director of the Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, from the Cornell University School of Medicine, in New York (USA) told to La Vanguardia: " There is increasing evidence that salt causes profound detrimental effects on brain health. Recent epidemiological studies have found that an excess of sodium does not always have an impact on high blood pressure, which made it difficult for public health agencies to issue recommendations for the entire population. However, it was seen that whether hypertension occurred or not, the brain is affected. And we wanted to know why. "
Read the article at Big Van in La Vanguardia here:
Neurologist Constantino Iadecola, senior author of this study and director of the Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, from the Cornell University School of Medicine, in New York (USA) told to La Vanguardia: " There is increasing evidence that salt causes profound detrimental effects on brain health. Recent epidemiological studies have found that an excess of sodium does not always have an impact on high blood pressure, which made it difficult for public health agencies to issue recommendations for the entire population. However, it was seen that whether hypertension occurred or not, the brain is affected. And we wanted to know why. "
Read our tip on salt consumption here: