Salt and the Immune System

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If you normally use a lot of salt on your food, you might want to consider limiting your salt intake, especially during the coronavirus threat. There's evidence that higher salt intake may compromise the immune system, according to a recently-published research paper.

The study showed that as long as the daily intake of salt did not exceed about 5 grams, all was well. 5 grams of salt is approximately the amount in one level teaspoon. But volunteers who consumed an additional 6 grams per day showed "pronounced immune deficiencies". This is approximately the amount of salt in two typical fast food meals.

Here's a link to a Science Daily analysis of the research:

Too much salt weakens the immune system

and here's a link to an abstract of the original research article (you can read the entire article if you're an AAAS member):

A high-salt diet compromises antibacterial neutrophil responses through hormonal perturbation

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