A US study has warned that we need to be careful about the amount of salt we take in daily. Salt was known to lead to high blood pressure, but researchers confirm that it can even damage the liver, besides causing high blood pressure.![high-sodium-foods]()
Adult mice had been administered with a diet high in salt, nearly 4% NaCl in one glass of water, in the experiment and the researchers noticed marked changes in the liver of the mice. Results surprised the researchers as they observed early cell death, alteration in shape of cells and decrease in the production of cells. Is this an indication of liver fibrosis? It may be say the researchers, as it could next result in, a disproportionate buildup of scar tissue which is one of the main causes for liver failure.
Salt has always been known to affect the blood pressure in a negative manner, but now researchers are saying that both developing embryos and adults can develop liver damage if the salt consumption is on the higher side. The US Government gives the nod to just about 1 tsp of salt for healthy adults and insists that a small amount of salt is what the body needs. Salt is important for the body because it helps in proper regulation and movement of water inside the body and is also imperative for nerve impulses.
Xuesong Yang along with other research scientists from the Jinan University in China, have made an attempt to study the effect of salt on the liver at a cellular level. The researchers administered adult mice with a high-salt diet and made the chick embryos experience a salty environment. Excessive sodium in diet showed that there was a marked change in the liver of the animals and the odd shaped cells and cell death was indicative of liver fibrosis. The researchers also discovered that when the liver cells that had been damaged were treated with Vitamin C, they did show some recovery. The research study can be referred to in detail in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
