Do you know that the intake of more salt reduces the blood flow in the brain by 25 percent? A recent research has shown that consuming a diet that is high in salt can lead to a decrease in intelligence. This has been claimed in a recent research. Increasing the amount of tau protein in the brain weakens memory and may decrease intelligence.
The most prominent cause of Dementia is salt: Professor Giuseppe Farco, a professor at the New York-based Phil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, is the principal researcher of this research. This research has been published in the journal Nature Neuroscience Trusted Sources. Doctor Farco said that there has always been a correlation between high salt intake and poor brain functioning and excessive intake is the main cause of dementia.
Studies done on mice: In earlier researches, researchers found that excessive salt intake led to dementia symptoms in mice. Salt rapidly produces molecules that cause inflammation in the body. Interleukin-17 molecule brain cells reduce to form nitric oxide. Nitric oxide widens blood vessels and helps blood flow. However, deficiency of nitric oxide can reduce blood flow.
Studies conducted on mice showed that consuming a high-salt diet increased IL-17 levels and reduced nitric oxide levels, reducing brain blood flow by 25 percent.
Excess of sodium harmful: Researcher Farco and his team believed that high sodium increases the risk of dementia by disrupting the blood flow to the brain. But, after research, it was found out that there is no decrease in blood flow but due to increase in the amount of tau protein, memory decreases.
Researchers gave a normal diet to some of the eight-week-old mice, and some to a high-sodium diet. The rats were fed a diet for four to 36 weeks. Subsequently, scientists tested that rats consuming more salt had less nitric oxide content, which increased the amount of tau protein in the brain. Rats were fed a normal and sodium diet for 04 to 36 weeks.
Alzheimer's causes tau protein-
During the research, scientists conducted tests at behavioral, cerebrovascular and molecular levels. It found that rats consuming more salt had less nitric oxide content, which increased the amount of tau protein in the brain. High levels of tau are believed to cause Alzheimer's.
