The salt you eat may affect your feelings! Study reveals the relationship between high salt diet and depression risks

When we eat foods that we eat into our stomachs every day, it not only affects our physical health, but also deeply affects our emotional and psychological state. The latest research points out that a scent that we use every day, saltba, may be related to the risk of depression, which shocked the medical world.

This study published in the journal Immunology shows that high salt diets and depression are closely linked. Although studies have suggested that the two may be related, the specific physiological mechanism has not been clarified. This study further revealed the possible key character, IL-17A protein, through animal experiments.

The research team used mice as a model and divided them into normal diet groups and high-salt diet groups for a five-week observation. It was found that mice that consumed high salts were more inactive and lacked exploration behavior, showing obvious "depression" symptoms. Further analysis found that the concentration of IL-17A in the spleen, blood and brain of these mice showed a significant increase in concentration, which is a protein closely related to inflammation reaction, anxiety and depression behavior.

More importantly, mice that do not produce IL-17A do not experience depression even if they eat high salt diets, further certifying the important role of IL-17A in this process.

The study was directed by Dr. Chen Xiaojun of Nanjing University of Medicine, who pointed out: "This study not only supports the prevention of mental illness by reducing the reproduction of salt, but also opens up new possibilities for IL-17A's depressive treatment strategies."

In modern diets, the use of salt is extremely common, especially in fast food and processed foods, which may even contain ten times more salt than home-cooked dishes. This research results remind us that in addition to caring for intake and cardiovascular health, we should also pay attention to its potential impact on brain and mental health.

The salt is not only for blood pressure, but also for emotions and mood.