Salt intake in multiple sclerosis: friend or foe?

High sodium intake has been recently noted as a putative environmental factor linked to multiple sclerosis. In their JNNP publication, Nourbakhsh and colleagues1 report a multicentric study of patients with paediatric multiple sclerosis where no association was detected between sodium intake and time to relapse. High dietary intake of salt is associated with elevated blood pressure, a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease.2 In 2010, 1.65 million annual deaths were attributed to sodium intake above the reference level (2 g/day).2 Nevertheless, the average consumption oscillates between 4 and 6 g/day.2 Beyond its cardiovascular effects high sodium intake as well as several other modifications in western lifestyle have been proposed as contributors to the rise in autoimmune disease observed in the past 50 years.3 However, little is known about the effect of salt consumption in multiple sclerosis (MS). An obvious reason for this...
Source: Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry - Category: Neurosurgery Authors: Tags: Immunology (including allergy), Multiple sclerosis, Hypertension, Connective tissue disease, Musculoskeletal syndromes Editorial commentaries Source Type: research