Increased Salt Consumption Is Associated With Dementia

The optimal recommended daily intake of sodium is up to 2000 mg per day (2 g) according to the World Health Organization (WHO), which is equivalent to about 6 grams of maximum daily salt intake for adults. In children between 1-3 years of age, the recommendations are for up to about 2 g of salt per day (0.8 g of sodium), and for children between 4-6 years of age, these values ​​are up to 3 g of salt per day (1.2 g sodium).

Increased salt consumption is associated with fluid retention, edema, hypertension, increased risk of stomach cancer, increased risk of cardiovascular events (stroke, heart attack), increased risk of nephropathy. Hyponatremia , on the other hand, presents with headache, dizziness, weakness, seizures, seizures, coma, and even death. Hyponatremia can occur with severe dehydration (prolonged diarrhea, vomiting, abnormal rehydration, diuretics, etc.), heart and kidney failure, etc.

On average, people worldwide consume many times more salt than is actually needed (on average between 9 and 12 grams per day). The goal of the WHO is to achieve a reduction in daily salt consumption by 30% by 2025. Upon reaching the recommended daily intake of sodium, 2.5 million deaths per year will be prevented.

A new study shows that consuming three times more salt per day than the recommended daily intake can lead to changes in the brain that are associated with dementia . The study was conducted at Vale Cornell Medical College in New York on animal models. The researchers found that in an extremely salty diet there was an accumulation of so-called. tau protein in the brain. It is a protein involved in the formation of normal morphology of nerve cells and the transport of nutrients in neurons, and is thought to play a role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's.

Within three months, the  results of tests assessing cognitive  abilities were deteriorating - there were difficulties in recognizing objects and remembering the moves of labyrinthine systems. The researchers believe that the reason for this lies in the accumulation of the tau protein in nerve cells, which leads to disruption of nutrient transport intracellularly and ultimately to  cell death . An imaging study was performed to see how protein accumulation altered the brain. Despite the results, however, new studies are yet to confirm whether the results are similar in humans.

The researchers noticed that the protein began to accumulate after the fourth week , with elevation continuing throughout the study. During the 12th week, there were difficulties in recognizing objects, as well as remembering the movements of labyrinthine systems.

New data show that reduced daily salt intake reduces the risk of developing dementia and cognitive degenerative processes. In Bulgaria, the number of patients suffering from dementia is about 200,000 and affects about 30% of the population between 65 and 80 years of age. Before this age, the incidence of the disease is 0.5-1%.