The new finding has come off the back of a research project. With a study undertaken on mice, it was found that a high-salt diet led to a rise in sodium accumulation within the skin of mice. This, in turn, elevated the immune response of the mice to a skin-infecting parasite. This was a protozoan parasite called Leishmania major. The parasite is transmitted through the bite of the sandfly.
Upon further analysis it was found that a high-salt diet boosted the activity of immune cells called macrophages within the mice.
In addition to mice, there is some (albeit limited) medical evidence that people with higher salt concentrations in their blood or as found in the skin have a stronger ability to fight infections compared with people with more typical sodium levels.
The finding will come as a surprise to many, given the health warnings around excessive salt and the connection with stroke and heart problems. These serious issues aside, it seems that there could be a case for increasing salt accumulation at the site of infections, especially in situations where there is a risk of antibiotic (or anti-parasitic drug) resistance.
For further research the scientists involved will build on these findings and seek to see exactly how salt accumulates in the skin and what mechanisms are at play to initiate the immune responses. These next waves of research may lead to new strategies for tackling diseases.
A note of caution is required: high salt diets are associated with ill-health and these preliminary results should not give anybody the idea that an increased salt consumption is a new wonder medical cure.
The findings have been published in the journal Cell Metabolism. The paper is called “Cutaneous Na Storage Strengthens the Antimicrobial Barrier Function of the Skin and Boosts Macrophage-Driven Host Defense.”
