it increases the risk of dementia

Everyone knows that salt is dangerous for well being, nevertheless it stays a tempting seasoning and it’s in nearly all the pieces. Nonetheless, we might higher actually attempt to reduce our consumption: new analysis suggests it is also dangerous for our reminiscence and may trigger dementia.

Since there’s nonetheless no remedy for dementia, we are able to solely attempt to stop it. One of many methods now appears to be to eat much less salt. In a Japanese research cognitive decline is linked to the consumption of an excessive amount of salt.

Really useful day by day quantity
It has lengthy been identified that consuming an excessive amount of salt results in hypertension and may subsequently trigger heart problems. That’s the reason the World Well being Group (WHO) recommends limiting salt consumption to a most of 5 grams per day. To provide you an thought: there’s about 1 gram of salt in three slices of bread. A jar of pasta sauce often incorporates at the least 1 gram per 100 grams of sauce. The Dutch subsequently on common go effectively over the beneficial day by day quantity of salt. Grownup males eat a median of just about 10 grams of salt per day, ladies 7.5 grams. By the way, the Dutch guideline is considerably extra versatile. We’re allowed 6 grams of salt per day as a substitute of the 5 grams beneficial by the WHO.

Proteins and hormones
Again to the Japanese analysis. They appeared on the position of angiotensin II – a hormone vital for the regulation of blood strain and fluid steadiness – and its receptor AT1. In addition they investigated the position of the protein molecule prostaglandin E2 and its receptor EP1, that are additionally identified to be concerned in hypertension and neurotoxicity. However the query now’s to what extent these mechanisms are concerned in hypertension and cognitive decline attributable to extreme salt consumption.
The scientists have discovered a solution to that. They discovered that salt-induced hypertension, mediated by the interplay of Ang II-AT1 and PGE2-EP1, does certainly trigger emotional and cognitive issues.

Researcher Hisayoshi Kubota of the Fujita Well being College responds: “Extreme salt consumption is taken into account a threat issue for hypertension, cognitive decline and dementia. However research which have centered on the interplay between the peripheral and central nervous techniques haven’t sufficiently checked out this hyperlink.”
The Japanese did. Based on the printed information, the addition of extreme phosphates to the protein tau is principally answerable for these emotional and cognitive penalties. That may be a very attention-grabbing truth, as a result of tau is a crucial protein within the improvement of Alzheimer’s.

Salt overdose for lab mice
How did the researchers discover out? They gave lab mice a saline resolution of two % salt in ingesting water for twelve weeks and monitored their blood strain. “The consequences of salt consumption on emotional and cognitive capabilities and tau phosphorylation have additionally been studied in two key areas of the mouse mind, the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus,” explains researcher Professor Akihiro Mouri. They then appeared on the position of Ang II-AT1 and PGE2-EP1 in salt-induced hypertension and neuronal and emotional decline.

The outcomes have been spectacular: the brains of the lab mice had undergone a number of biochemical modifications. On the molecular degree, along with an addition of phosphates to tau, the researchers additionally noticed a lower in phosphate teams linked to a key enzyme referred to as CaMKII, a protein concerned in mind signaling. There have been additionally modifications within the degree of PSD95, a protein that performs an important position within the group and performance of mind synapses. Surprisingly (and luckily) all of those modifications might be reversed by administering an antihypertensive drug.

New therapy technique
What ought to we do with all these difficult findings? They might make the angiotensin II-AT1 and prostaglandin E2-EP1 techniques doubtlessly new targets within the therapy of excessive blood pressure-induced dementia. And the way can we affect these techniques? Proper, by consuming much less salt. “This research is very of nice social and financial significance, as a result of the prices of the therapy of dementia are rising yearly,” it concludes. That’s the reason you will need to develop preventives that shield in opposition to dementia.