Salt Kills Beneficial Gut Bacteria and Feeds Harmful Ones

In November 2017, Naturepublished research suggesting high salt intake kills some beneficial gut bacteria and may contribute to high blood pressure and immune-related diseases.

How does excess salt disrupt the body’s delicate balance?

A high-salt diet is known to significantly increase high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease risk. But harmful effects on beneficial gut bacteria (microbiota, microbiome), whose importance is increasingly recognized, were unclear.

From high-salt diets, excess sodiumis also known to accelerate autoimmune neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Claims that certain salts (Himalayan salt or other rock salts) contain no sodium or little are untrue. Flavor is separate, but no salt is healthier!

- Related topic: Total daily salt intake should be less than 1 teaspoon!

The new study, concerning how excess salt kills beneficial Lactobacillus gut bacteria, revealed a possible underlying mechanism.

What is Lactobacillus?

Lactobacillus, bacteria found in fermented foods such as yogurt, cheese and tarhana, is considered good bacteria and thought protective against some diseases.

Each person consists of over 60 trillion cells. About 30 trillion are human cells and about 30 trillion are microorganismsliving within the body. Viruses, bacteria or fungi may be these harmless or mutually beneficial microorganisms living alongside us, called the microbiome / microbiota / flora . They are most concentrated in the gut and skin.

Studies show Lactobacillus inhibits dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria and may help reduce kidney problems in women with lupus.

Researchers found a mouse Lactobacillus species disappeared with a high-salt diet. This diet also raised blood pressure and activated TH17 cells, immune cells triggering inflammation .

Mice also showed neurological signs seen in multiple sclerosis.

Researchers found that giving mice Lactobacillus probiotic treatment, which also regulates blood pressure, could reduce neurological complaints and TH17 cell numbers.

The authors then tested their findings in humans . They gave 12 healthy men, over 2 weeks, an extra 6 gr of salt daily.

After 2 weeks, Lactobacillus had disappeared from most participants’ gut flora. Like mice, the men developed higher blood pressure and TH17 counts.

Scientists already knew TH17 cells are affected by the gut microbiome, but salt killing its healthy bacteria is a new finding.

The role of our flora’s bacteria in disease is a leading research topic, though much remains unknown about interaction with gut bacteria.

The gut microbiome is increasingly seen as a treatment target for salt-worsened conditions such as hypertension and edema. Cancer treatment provides an example: new-generation immunotherapies may become more effective with a diverse microbiome.

Another aspect is that a high-salt diet kills helpful bacteria while increasing infection risk with Helicobacter pylori , the main cause of stomach cancer.

Related Topics:

- The Mediterranean diet increases good gut bacteria!

- Protective benefits of skin bacteria against skin cancer