Eat too salty, be careful of dementia

A study published online on the 23rd in the British journal Nature confirmed the causal relationship between salt intake and cognitive function in mice The study found that high salt diet in mice resulted in the aggregation of modified tau protein, which is related to diseases that lead to dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease Further studies are needed to determine whether the results are applicable to humans Previous studies have shown that excessive salt intake is related to cognitive impairment and is a risk factor for dementia Although the exact mechanism behind this association is not clear, vascular dysfunction and tau protein aggregation of neurons are thought to play a role in the development of cognitive impairment This time, scientists from will Cornell School of medicine, Constantino adcra and colleagues found evidence of the latter effect, identifying a signal cascade that leads to an increase in phosphorylated tau protein They found that the ability to recognize new objects and the performance of Maze experiments decreased in mice on a high salt diet - mice with eight to 16 times the salt content of the normal mice diet Studies have shown that high salt intake can reduce the synthesis of nitric oxide and activate Cdk5, an enzyme involved in tau protein phosphorylation The recovery of nitric oxide synthesis can reverse the cognitive impairment of mice The researchers stressed that the high salt diet of mice actually exceeded the reported maximum human salt intake (3-5 times the recommended dose of 4g-5g / day) However, the findings identify a previously unknown link between eating habits and cognitive health, suggesting that avoiding a high salt diet may help maintain cognitive function (BIOON Com)