Salt efficient against infections

The salt in the wound: A new study confirms a protective effect of salt against infections

04/03/2015

Those who take a lot of salt increase their risk of stroke, heart attack and hypertension. However, a recent study by scientists at the Universities of Regensburg and Erlangen and Vanderbilt University in the US also shows a positive benefit of salt. Accordingly, it protects against infections.

Salt is increasingly stored in infectious tissue
Increased salt intake is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Jonathan Jantsch, a medical staff member at the Institute of Clinical Microbiology and Hygiene at the University Hospital Regensburg, and Jens Titze, University of Erlangen and Vanderbilt University, wondered why the body still stores salt.

Quite by accident, the researchers made an observation in mice: while the animals were placed on a low-salt diet, rodents with sores of the skin stored similar amounts of salt as in a high-salt diet. The researchers suspected that salt in infectious tissue is enriched and could be related to the immune system. As it turned out, the salt actually boosts the defense of the macrophages. These are white blood cells that break down infectious agents by forming toxic substances.

„With our research results, we reveal a useful role of salt deposition in the body. However, this does not mean that high salt intake is good for your health. The most important finding is that in infected tissue, large amounts of salt can be accumulated locally and independently of diet. This increases the immune defense at the affected areas, "says Jantsch.

Salt locally strengthens the immune system in case of infections
After the mice received antibiotics, the salt deposition was reduced promptly in infections. Drugs that effectively fight infectious agents reduce the need to support the immune system by storing salt.

„The study gives us a completely new look at the role of salt in the body, "explains Jantsch. „A large amount of salt has been shown to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and is associated with high blood pressure. For the first time, we have also discovered a potential benefit. "

Previous research has shown that more salt is stored with age, which is related to cardiovascular disease. The new study results suggest that salt accumulation is also promoted by chronic inflammation and thus also the progression of cardiovascular diseases is promoted.

Further investigations should show how the new findings can be used in practice. „It would be conceivable, for example, the targeted promotion of salt accumulation in infections. Furthermore, the knowledge of the process and purpose of salt storage is a therapeutic opportunity in autoimmune diseases or cardiovascular diseases“, so Jantsch.