Excessive Salt Consumption Leads to Cognitive Impairment, MS Mouse Study Shows

New research shows how a high-salt diet leads to excessive levels of interleukin-17 (IL-17) in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, causing changes in endothelial cells that result in dementia.

These findings suggest that therapeutics targeting IL-17 may help halt the neurovascular damages of MS and other autoimmune diseases linked to high levels of IL-17.

The study, “Dietary salt promotes neurovascular and cognitive dysfunction through a gut-initiated TH17 response,” appeared in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

Diets rich in sodium chloride are common among Americans, 90 percent of whom exceed the recommended 2,300 mg intake of salt per day. While such diets have been linked with an increased risk for cerebrovascular diseases and dementia, exactly how high levels of salt damage the brain remained unclear.

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