Salt imbalance linked to memory impairment in study

A study published in ‘Food Research International’ by researchers from Zhejiang University suggests that both excessive salt intake and extremely low salt levels may impair memory and brain health through different biological mechanisms.

Using mice transplanted with human gut bacteria, researchers observed that extreme dietary salt levels affected the gut-brain axis. Mice on a very low-salt diet showed decreased levels of essential proteins in the hippocampus, a brain region critical for learning and memory. Conversely, mice on a high-salt diet exhibited increased inflammation markers in the blood, changes in gut bacteria composition, and increased oxidative stress.

The findings indicate that salt imbalance impacts short-term and long-term memory by altering the gut microbiome and its metabolic products. However, researchers noted that because the study was conducted on animals, the results cannot be directly applied to humans without further clinical research.