Did you know, eating too much salt might wreck your immunity?

Skip those junk foods as they have way too much salt in them.
foods to avoid during monsoon
Moderate your salt consumption to stay fit. Image courtesy: Shutterstock
PTI Updated: 10 May 2021, 23:07 pm IST
  • 55

Have you ever noticed bloating in the morning if you eat a salted delicacy in the dinner? Well, that’s because salt leads to water retention in the body – result, bloating. 

Also, it is not advisable to eat way too much salt as it also has a bad impact on your blood pressure. And that’s not all, a recent study says that it’s bad for your immunity too.

According to a new study, a high-salt diet may not only be bad for one’s blood pressure, but also for the immune system.

Researchers from the University Hospital Bonn in Germany found that a high-salt diet suffered from much more severe bacterial infections.

Even 6 grams of salt a day can wreck your immunity
Human volunteers who consumed an additional six grams of salt per day also showed pronounced immune deficiencies, according to the study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

eat less
Stop latching onto processed food as it has way too much salt. Image Courtesy: Shutterstock.

This amount corresponds to the salt content of two fast-food meals, the researchers said.

Five grams a day is the maximum amount of salt that adults should consume according to the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO).

It corresponds approximately to one level teaspoon, the researchers said.

Sodium chloride, which is the chemical name of salt, raises blood pressure and thereby increases the risk of heart attack or stroke, they said.

“We have now been able to prove for the first time that excessive salt intake also significantly weakens an important arm of the immune system,” said Christian Kurts from the University of Bonn.

Select Topics of your interest and let us customize your feed.

PERSONALISE NOW

Also, listen:

Less salt in your diet will also heal you faster, says researcher
The researchers said that the finding is unexpected, as some studies point in the opposite direction.

For example, infections with certain skin parasites in laboratory animals heal significantly faster if these consume a high-salt diet, they said.

The macrophages, which are immune cells that attack, eat and digest parasites, are particularly active in the presence of salt.

Several physicians concluded from this observation that sodium chloride has a generally immune-enhancing effect, the researchers said.

Kurts said:

We examined volunteers who consumed six grams of salt in addition to their daily intake. 

“This is roughly the amount contained in two fast food meals, i.e. two burgers and two portions of French fries,” he said.

After one week, the scientists took blood from their subjects and examined the granulocytes, the most common type of immune cell in the blood.

They found that the immune cells coped much worse with bacteria after the test subjects had started to eat a high-salt diet.

So, peeps control your salt intake now otherwise your health will have to pay a hefty price. 

  • 55

Healthshots Wellness Newsletter

Get your Daily Dose of Wellness in your Inbox

Subscribe Now
Next Story